Chick Corea-Return To Forever (1972)

Return to Forever's debut album (though technically a Chick Corea solo project) is a masterpiece of jazz fusion. Its iconic cover art transports us to the distinctive sounds of Corea's Fender Rhodes electric piano, accompanied on this occasion by Joe Farrell's vibrant flute and talented saxophone, Airto Moreira's Latin touch, Flora Purim's warm Latin American sensibility, and Stanley Clarke's understated yet effective double bass. The title track is a musical odyssey, navigating between warmth and mystery, melancholy and disquietness, while maintaining an excellent melody that allows the music to flow effortlessly. In contrast to this title track are "Crystal Silence" and "What Games Shall We Play Today?", two easy-listening pieces featuring Flora Purim's superb vocals. To finish the album comes the epic "Sometime Ago/La Fiesta", a huge 23-minute canvas that accommodates everything from Latin sounds, jazz fusion or melancholic features full of charm to traditional Spanish music, all without ever losing the connection between all those sounds and all those different musical environments.