I enjoy playing the band as the band. I 'be' the whole band and I'm playing the drums, I'm playing the guitar, I'm playing the saxophone. To me, the most wonderful thing about playing music is that.

In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever. Drummer Vinnie Colaiuta played with the band in Europe and on select North American dates; Brian Blade played all dates in Asia and Australia and most dates in North America. The rest of the tunes are Corea originals.

Corea continued to pursue other collaborations and to explore various musical styles throughout the 1980s and 1990s. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards.