To the Stars was a conceptual work based on a novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, and so is this. The former I found to be overblown and bombastic, and there seemed a likelihood that what this had to offer would be more of the same.

Extended conceptual works in jazz and rock fail more often than they succeed, and Corea's work often straddles both genres. I also have to confess to a complete inability, buoyed by a strong disinclination, to take L. Ron and Scientology seriously.

Long-time Scientologist Corea's view is understandably different, and we touched on the subject over the phone, about a year ago, during the course of an interview for the Post.

Going back over the transcript, I find the composer expounding on a theme I didn't pursue in the article, but which seems pertinent to this album, on which he was already at work when we spoke.

'There's something [Hubbard] does with his art form that I've always tried to achieve,' he said. 'The way he renders his fiction, his writing, is very artistic, very fine, but his message really communicates broadly to a lot of people. It's not esoteric, and I've always modelled myself as an artist in that direction, in terms of really wanting to communicate to all kinds of people, but in a very fine way with music.'

Leaving aside the bizarre idea of Hubbard as a fine artist, it seems to me that Corea missed that mark with To the Stars, but gets a lot closer to it here, irrespective of how well the music reflects the book.

Possibly this is because in The Ultimate Adventure Hubbard borrowed from The Arabian Nights, which gives Corea an excuse to explore Middle Eastern musical sounds and styles that relate closely to flamenco and the Spanish music he loves.

'I had some records in the 70s - one called The Leprechaun, another called My Spanish Heart, another called The Mad Hatter - and they're based on a theme or a culture or a location,' Corea said. 'My Spanish Heart is based on my love for Spanish music. So now I find I have these works of art that I'm in love with to give me inspiration and a theme for tone poems. It's something I'm really into.'

He also has the inspiration of some fine musicians with whom he has renewed his working relationships in recent years. What finally persuaded me to buy the album was the participation of Hubert Laws, Steve Gadd and Airto Moreira (his colleague in the first lineup of Return to Forever).

The cast also includes drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, Elektric Band guitarist Frank Gambale and the members of his current band. They magnificently bring to life a collection of Spanish- and African-influenced pieces.

Corea's unabashed populism means that he's never afraid of a melody that can be hummed, and there are good tunes aplenty here. It's an instantly accessible collection, with its varied sound textures superbly recorded, and much fine playing throughout.

Simple notes explaining the connections of the compositions to the book are included in the CD booklet, but listeners who prefer to draw on the resources of their own imaginations rather than Hubbard's will have no difficulty in enjoying the album without reading the novel. For Scientologists and science fiction buffs the subtext will presumably provide an extra thrill.

Some of the arrangements may sound like film music, but the compositions on The Ultimate Adventure certainly conform to the definition of a tone poem Corea supplies in the notes: 'An extended piece of music that is based on a literary, artistic, or ideological theme, for example a folk tale or a landscape.'

The album is all of the above, and it's well worth hearing, even if you have to make a small effort to shut out of your mind the fact that the literature and ideology are L. Ron Hubbard's.