Customer Reviews

Leprechaun

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

From our point of view in the 21st century, the keyboard experimentation on this album will sound painfully out-dated. But no one can deny the virtuosity of keyboardist Chick Corea, and he spends most of his efforts here on an acoustic. Those familiar with Corea's fusion of jazz, classical and other styles will appreciate the wide variety of genres here, although the attempt at "jazz rock" on one of the tracks is laughable in spite of the amazing musical performances.

The redeeming value of this disc is the drumming of Steve Gadd. No other album demonstrates his skill, technique and composition like The Leprechaun. It is the kind of revolutionary recording that only comes along once a generation, and it only made sense that a revolutionary drummer like Gadd would lay down the tracks. If you're a drummer and you've never heard him play, or never been exposed to his linear-style, 32nd-note comping, this disc will change your life.

Probably not at the top of a Corea fan's list, but a must-have for anyone who considers themself a serious student of the drum set.

If you've grown up in the "synthesizer age" you can appreciate the sounds as the best available at the time. Regardless of tone Corea's performance remains miraculous. But the supporting musicians get the real applause - Gadd's work is INCREDIBLE, in an interview Corea stated that Gadd took "Night Sprite" in ONE TAKE, very hard to believe since Gadd beautifully works Corea's complex arrangement masterfully. Anthony Jackson on electric bass, Eddie Gomez on Acoustic Bass, and the trombone solo (Reichenbach?, Watrous?) on "Leprechaun's Dream" simply KILLS.

Yeah yeah it's from 1975 and those analog synths sound dated, but if you really wanna hear musicians play in stunning form then you will grow to appreciate, even like the quirks on here. Yeah yeah there's a few tracks that could be called throwaways, but they help to give the album a completeness of character, aka the title. Deal with it, you'll hear incredible songs AND incredible singing (listen to Gayle's crystalline voice at the end of "Lenore").

For the drummers out there, I discovered this album 2 1/2 years ago and it has become a chapter in my drum bible, God being Gadd. He's known as the best drummer with us today for a reason (but I like him better than Buddy or Gene..) and this album demonstrates as clearly as possible. However, once you're converted, you'll soon learn that absolutely ANYTHING with Steve Gadd on it shows him at his best-- just as musical as demonstrated here, because he is the best. So once you've cried over this album, go find anything with this guy on it. You form the impossible impression that this guy is literally perfect.

Back to reality, "Lenore", "Nite Sprite", and "Leprechaun's Dream Part 2" are the highlights and can be listened to thousands of times and you'll still be noticing interplay between just SOMETHING that you didn't notice before. I'll go against the grain of the drum community on this one, but I think "Dream Pt2" is the best Gadd work on here, and also (probably by no coincidence) the best song, but that's just my opinion.

Oh yeah, Chick, Eddie, Anthony and the horn and string sections were all inspiring too.

This CD blends the best of Chick's 70's melodic sound, with the frenetic energy of his "Return to Forever" Group. The result is a Jazz/Fusion vibe that is more technical than say, "Light as a Feather" or "Where Have I Known You Before" but not as exhausting as RTF's Fusion masterpiece, "Romantic Warrior". By breaking out of the RTF (Return to Forever) box, Chick is able to bring in more guest musicians: each song is "cast" with the best combination of players. The great Steve Gadd was in his prime on this record, (Listen to his druming on "Nitesprite") as were so many of the Musicians featured here. The incredible Gayle Moran lends her pure, bell tone vocals to several songs, adding an element missing from Chick's records since Flora Plurim's early 70's appearances. All in all, a must have CD: one you can put on the player, dim the lights, close your eyes, and listen to straight through with a big smile on your face....

I first heard this recording on vinyl some years ago when a drummer friend of mine brought it over to my house along with The Mahavishnu Orchestra's BETWEEN NOTHINGNESS & ETERNITY. Both recordings solidified my love for jazz fusion. I bought a copy of both for myself on CD some years later. There is so much to offer in this classic CD. "Imp's Welcome" sounds like music for "The Arabian Nights". "Lenore" features more excellent work from Corea and his wife Gayle Moran. "Reverie" bleeds into "Looking At The World" a summation of the central character's view of things. "Night Sprite" features Corea, Joe Farrell, and Steve Gadd in rare form. "Soft And Gentle" is the ballad for the leprechaun to his love. "Pixiland Rag" is a re-working of Corea's "Children's Song #9". The central piece is "Leprechaun's Dream" which shows Chick's mastery of orchestral writing. This is the first of the trilogy of CD's from Chick ending with 1978's THE MAD HATTER.

I'm a big fan of Chick Corea's fusion days. I love most of his Elektric Band stuff, and most stuff he put out between 1974-1992.

This album has great players on it; Steve Gadd on drums and Eddie Gomez on bass. I love both of them. And they were Chick Corea regulars around this time.

This album has some great tunes, like Lenore. One of the greatest Corea tunes I ever heard. But then, there are some boring tracks without drums, or Chick is using a vocalist.

Now I'm not a vocals fan, so mainly when a jazz musician uses vocals for a recording or two, I look in the other direction, but this album has enough good material to over-shadow the bad stuff. Still worthy of getting; make your own opinion about it.

Great playing!

This is quite possibly the best lineup chick ever worked with during his fusion experimentation. Every musician in the group has something unique to say, and the phenomenal compositions of Corea stand unmatched in the realms of imagination and awareness of the many musical elements. Steve Gadd has a language of his own, and speaks it through this music. He has very unique interpretations and can see right through conformity to true pulse, and also create amazing grooves felt on a higher level than most. While I respect everything Chick did under different lights, I think this was his "best of the 70's" (to be blunt). A must have for fusion listeners.

put the cat out, make a cup of tea ,sit down in a comfy chair and close your eyes when you listen to this and take a little journey

This one was the first LP that I have bought in my life (saving the money to buy my food in the high school), and has marked my taste by the music of a form that has made me take a persecution for good music, charming, rich and sophisticated, over 30, yes, for over 30 years ago. It continues being one of the best done musical works for me, one of the ten CD's favorite of between more than thousands than I have. I am hoping something better to listen in this kind of music,even from Chick itself, but it does not happen...

This album, still one of my favorite Chick works, when it came out in the mid-70's, was a great musical influence to me, and still influences my approach to music. It has some great intricate combo work, which is increasingly hard to find in today's "Smooth Jazz" (might as well play loops all day) or other music of the day. Shades of Return to Forever and Stanley Clarke Styles all over this one!