Jazz-fusion has spawned plenty of rather distressing albums but also, fortunately, many masterpieces. Like this album, recorded on the 2nd and 3rd of February 1972 in New York. Return to Forever sees the pianist Chick Corea, who had just left Miles Davis's outfit, alongside electric bass god Stanley Clarke, the underrated flautist and saxophonist Joe Farrell and the Brazilian duo of singer Flora Purim and her husband, the drummer and percussionist Airto Moreira. This light "Brazilian touch" is one of the interesting elements in this fusion, which offers an alternative to the music offered by Miles or John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, which had much more of a rock sound. At his electric keyboard, Corea remains attached to the melodic framework of his compositions and the mystical atmosphere, which was so popular in its day, is never over-done. Most importantly, the incontinent splurging of notes that has clogged up so many electronic projects is absent here. On Crystal Silence, Farrell's sax solo is to die for, and Corea's playing, light as a feather, will take some beating. Derided as a circus animal by his detractors, Stanley Clarke is also strikingly subtle and his performance on Sometime Ago - La Fiesta is among his most moving. In the end, Return to Forever is perhaps considered one of the greatest jazz-fusion albums because it sweeps away the clichés. Thereafter, despite a regularly changing line-up, the band proved a colossal success (six studio albums followed in five years), undoubtedly because of its distinctly 'rockier' formula, which was a major departure from the style of this first chapter. © Marc Zisman / Qobuz

In 2013, Chick Corea teamed up with a couple of gold-standard rhythmists - Christian McBride on the double bass and Brian Blade on drums - with whom he recorded Trilogy, a brilliant live album which saw him blend his own repertoire with classic standards by Thelonious Monk, Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein, Kurt Weil, Irving Berlin & co. Just as the title indicates, Trilogy 2 repeats the exercise: same cast, same idea, same great result. Of course, the relationship between the three of them has been consolidated over the years. And while Corea’s piano remains one of the best of his generation, it’s the McBride/Blade tandem that really shines as a creative stroke of genius. The accuracy of their interventions and punctuations are staggering, never off-kilter and never over the top. Finally, the repertoire is a touch more original than on the previous Trilogy, with Steve Swallow’s Eiderdown, Monk’s Crepuscule with Nellie, 500 Miles High by Return to Forever, Lotus Blossom by Billy Strayhorn as well as Pastime Paradise by Stevie Wonder. © Max Dembo/Qobuz

If Rum Sodomy & the Lash captured the Pogues on plastic in all their rough-and-tumble glory, If I Should Fall from Grace with God proved they could learn the rudiments of proper record making and still come up with an album that captured all the sharp edges of their musical personality. Producer Steve Lillywhite imposed a more disciplined approach in the studio than Elvis Costello had, but he had the good sense not to squeeze the life out of the band in the process; as a result, the Pogues sound tighter and more precise than ever, while still summoning up the glorious howling fury that made Rum Sodomy & the Lash so powerful. And Shane MacGowan continued to grow as a songwriter, as his lyrics and melodies captured with brilliant detail his obsession with the finer points of Anglo-Irish culture. "Fairytale of New York," a glorious sweet-and-sour duet with Kirsty MacColl, and "The Broad Majestic Shannon" were subtle in a way many of his previous work was not, "Birmingham Six" found him addressing political issues for the first time (and with all the expected venom), and "Fiesta" and "Turkish Song of the Damned" found him adding (respectively) faux-Spanish and Middle Eastern flavors into the Pogues' heady mix. And if you want to hear the Pogues blaze through some fast ones, "Bottle of Smoke" and the title song find them doing just what they've always done best. Brilliantly mixing passion, street smarts, and musical ambition, If I Should Fall from Grace with God is the best album the Pogues would ever make.© Mark Deming /TiVo

When Florida Georgia Line covered Black Stone Cherry's "Stay," the single went straight to the top of the country music charts and provided some exposure for the Kentucky hard rockers outside heavy metal circles. The band's first two records -- 2006's self-titled album and 2008's Folklore and Superstition -- both possessed killer riffs and raw intensity but lacked songwriting finesse, while 2011's Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea went too far in the other direction. Magic Mountain assembles BSC's strengths cohesively with only a few missteps. Produced, engineered, and mixed by Joe Barresi (Melvins, Queens of the Stone Age, Chevelle), this 13-song set unabashedly reflects the band's biggest influences -- Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, Cream, and vintage Whitesnake -- but places them in a 21st century post-grunge, hard rock context. The swaggering blues-metal of opener "Holding on... to Letting Go" possesses a mighty hook with sweeping guitar fills from vocalist/guitarist Chris Robertson and Ben Wells. The wah-wah guitar strut in "Bad Luck & Hard Love" is equaled only by the four-part vocal harmonies. While the single "Me and Mary Jane" may be overly obvious, the tune is irresistible because of its massive hook and its boogie quotient. Speaking of boogie, check the title track. Its twin leads, propulsive drum attack, and handclaps in the bridge make it the set's party jam. "Never Surrender" is crunchy death metal with low-tuned guitars run amok, tempered by a catchy chorus. The introductory bass throb in "Fiesta del Fuego" and its snarling vocal effects keep the nearly unhinged six-string rage inside the realm of chaos, while closer "Remember Me" is swaggering Southern hard rock tempered by flanged guitars and a pop-metal chorus. There are a couple of duds. The ballad "Sometimes" is pure filler. "Hollywood in Kentucky" sounds like it was recorded to appeal to either contemporary country radio or to be covered by other artists from the genre (its lyrics reference pickup trucks, boots, mom, good ol' boys, etc.). It doesn't belong here. These clunkers aside, Magic Mountain comes closer than any previous offering in providing the kind of excitement Black Stone Cherry generate live, and showcases their most refined songwriting to date.© Thom Jurek /TiVo

Believe it or not, this Argentinian-born saxophonist spent his early years playing in the jazz avant-garde with the likes of Don Cherry. But for all his free-form experiments, "the Cat" hit his stride with this pristine piece of seminal pop-jazz. His emotional, warm-blooded playing, gritty-sweet tone, and Latin-laced grooves slide down smooth and easy. Covers of Santana's "Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile)" and Marvin Gaye's "I Want You" remain faithful to the originals' vibe, yet take on a seductive Spanish accent thanks to Barbieri's expressive tenor and a battery of Latin percussion. Elsewhere, hip-swiveling rhythms and tuneful arrangements of cuts like "Fiesta," "Behind the Rain," and "Los Desperados" simply simmer. Drummer Lenny White kicks down a rock-solid beat, percussionists Ralph MacDonald and Mtume add the spice that's funky and nice, and producer Herb Alpert (of Tijuana Brass, and the "A" in A&M Records) polishes the proceedings to a glossy sheen with colorful orchestrations and silky strings. © TiVo

A lively, spontaneous record that manages to sound both relaxed and forceful at the same time, A Toda Cuba Le Gusta shows off the talents of many of Cuba's elder statesmen of Afro-Cuban jazz. Over gently pulsating conga grooves and low-register ostinatos, such luminaries as pianist Ruben Gonzalez and singer Manuel "Puntillita" Licea float dramatic melodies, as their solo contributions are answered by brass section chords as thick and sweet as cane syrup. Although it is Ruben Gonzalez' presence on this album that gets the most attention, his tendency towards relentless chromaticism becomes tiresome early on, especially when it is contrasted with the exquisite phrasing and tremulous beauty of singers such as Licea, Raul Planas, and Ibrahum Ferrer. As would be expected, the trumpets blare with traditional Cuban bravado, evoking gentle romance and fiery passion with equal ease. Even the resident gringo, Ry Cooder, gets in some choice licks on "Alto Songo." The relative lack of dynamic movement in most of these songs may lead to them blending together in the ear of the listener, but the inherent tunefulness of each track, not to mention the sheer drive that this band is capable of summoning, cancels that complaint out nicely. An important collaboration and a promising debut.© Daniel Gioffre /TiVo

The mastery and vision of the enduring Marc Ribot shine through on this release. Although there have been many attempts to produce authentic indigenous music of various cultures, most have fallen short; this album succeeds in the wake of failure. Ribot delves deep into Cuban rhythms, and indeed the album is a tribute to the Cuban master Arsenio Rodriguez. Here Ribot finds an authentic Cuban sound employing traditional instrumentation: upright bass, wood blocks, cherke, and other percussion sounds. The performance is inspired, and the band consistently tears through Rodriguez's material, as well as some of their own. Ribot's guitar work nears perfection, and he proves himself to be the most soulful white alive. Songs like "Aqui Como Alla" and "Postizo" confirm these assertions. Although this album does not present the iconoclastic Ribot of The Book of Heads fame, it is an excellent album.© Marc Gilman /TiVo

Cut from the same cloth as the band's 1973 Deliver the Word LP, War's 1975 Why Can't We Be Friends? is a masterpiece in its scope and breadth. And, emerging as the last work the band would do for its longtime label, United Artists, it became a fitting swansong, powering up the charts and giving War its fourth and final number one hit. In recent years, the album has been overshadowed by the monstrously popular bass-beating and bright brass of its singular hit, "Low Rider." Indeed, the song would become the band's signature theme, as the Latino street-cruiser jam quickly became a live set staple and, much later, was reinvigorated through sampling on songs by the Beastie Boys, Stereo MC's, and Offspring. However, that one track, iconographic as it is, is by no means the only treat onboard Why Can't We Be Friends? There are far more interesting and superb treats roiling in the wake of "Low Rider." The snappy title track, which poses the question of the decade and, oddly, closes the album, is a feel-good thumper. Its bright brass punctuation and rakish vocals are wonderfully combined with an absolutely contagious reggae beat. Then, add the doesn't-get-much-better-than-that medley "Leroy's Latin Lament." Divided into four "songs," the music swings from the smart vocal opening "Lonnie Dreams" to the effervescent Latin jam of "La Fiesta." And, of course, where there's War, there's funk -- this time on the seven-plus minute"Heartbeat." Wrap it all up with the poignant ballad "Lotus Blossom," and the result is pretty much perfection. Why Can't We Be Friends? remains one of War's truly outstanding efforts, and has become an integral part of the funk genre's landscape. It also remains the nightcap of their finest hour. War's ill-timed move to MCA changed the energy and focus of the band forever.© Amy Hanson /TiVo

King of Bongo showcases Mano Negra as a straightforward rock band, downplaying its trademark eclecticism and turning up the guitars. The manic rhythmic drive is throttled back, and the broad range of styles the group explored on Puta's Fever only pop up sporadically to spice the rock context. The almost all-English lyrics embrace the outlaw rocker stance, and the material is largely geared toward emphasizing Mano Negra's connection with the punk side of the rock spectrum. The ranting rave-up "Letter to the Censors" isn't that far from Motörhead, and the acoustic guitar and organ on "Out of Time Man" has a feel close to Iggy Pop's "The Passenger." "Don't Want You No More" even lopes along at a country & western-flavored clip. Mano Negra can rock hard and convincingly -- notably on the steady, rolling title track or when blending dub reggae and rap elements into "Bring the Fire" -- and the music still offers much more variety than the rock norm here. While King of Bongo isn't a bad album (and its English-language rock orientation might be easier for many people to connect with), it is the least distinctive of Mano Negra's career.© Don Snowden /TiVo

As the name implies, this album consists of pieces composed with the saxophone in mind. Nine saxophonists in all (from the London Saxophonic) pitch in on the disc, which also features some piano, folk-rock vet Danny Thompson on contra bass, several percussionists, piano, and occasional ensemble vocals; Moondog himself contributes bass drum, bongos, and (as a member of the ensemble) vocals throughout. In its swaying (at times even sing-along) melodicism, intricate arrangements, and light bounce, it's strongly reminiscent of his excellent 1969 Moondog album; in fact, "Bird's Lament" makes an appearance on both records. This is more enjoyable, toe-tapping, and life-affirming than most any other jazz or avant-garde music around in the 1990s, demonstrating that Moondog's talents remain undimmed in his eighties; it's impossible to hear the ebullient choral vocals on "Paris" without smiling. © TiVo

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