Light As a Feather

Chick Corea, Return to Forever, Chick Corea & Return to Forever | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B0000046YK
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,004 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Featuring the same band as the first Return to Forever album--vocalist Flora Purim, saxophonist-flutist Joe Farrell, bassist Stanley Clarke, and drummer Airto-- 1973's Light As a Feather was the result of a conscious effort on Chick Corea's part to communicate with a broader audience. Although Corea's electric piano and Purim's spacey-samba vocals might sound dated, the album includes a couple of Corea's most beloved compositions, "500 Miles High" and "Spain." Subsequent Return to Forever albums turned to conceptual bombast and silly fantasies. Here, Corea strikes an appealing balance between art and accessibility. --Rick Mitchell

Product Description

No Description Available.
Genre: Jazz Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 19-MAY-1986

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Chick's On Top of His Game July 3, 2003

By Ren

Format:Audio CD

In 1973, Chick Corea recorded Light As a Feather with his band Return to Forever, and it had a great impact in the jazz world. Chick at this time was experimenting with Latin rhythms and themes, particularly those of Brazil. His Brazilian emphasis is helped by Brazilian vocalist Flora Purim and noted Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira. His samba-like rhythms are pervasive throughout the whole album, and that is one of the many things that makes this album great. Another reason is this had a great impact on the fusion movement, with Chick on the Fender Rhodes Electric Piano and fusion bassist Stanley Clarke.
"You're Everything" starts off the album impressively, featuring a rubatto introduction with Flora Purim. Her vocals on this intro are annoying at times; I wish she would sing in Portuguese because her strong accent is distracting. But, the band strongly kicks in afterwards with a samba rhythm that gets the album off the ground. There isn't any soloing on this track (it's only 5 minutes long), but it's an awesome introduction to the album.
Every other track on this album is killer. "Light As a Feather" is an calming melody that goes into double-time for amazing solos by Chick, Joe Farrell, and Stanley Clarke. The instrumental "Captain Marvel" is one of my favorites; the melody is extremely catchy, the uptempo samba rhythm really works out, and the solos are incredible. "500 Miles High" is another great performance here, with Flora Purim at her best. The melody is also beautiful, and Chick delivers a great solo. An interesting part here is "Children's Song". Chick later had a whole cycle of these. There is no improvisation; it is a great composition; very reminiscent of the legendary composer Bartok.
The album finishes with Corea's most famous and maybe on of his best compositions "Spain". He gives a slow introduction, but then he kicks in with a beautiful and pulsating melody. The solos here are also incredbile, Farrell and Chick give their best solos throughout the album. Stanley Clarke's solo is also incredible, but he is best on "500 Miles High".
I would recommend this to all jazz fans who are interested in either Chick Corea, samba, or fusion. The whole album is awesome, the songs are accessible, and the soloing is superb. Bottom line: It's a great album to pick up.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Corea does no wrong on this record June 29, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Audio CD

I totally agree with the previous review; it is indeed a "breath of fresh air" in a era where jazz musicians--including Corea just a few years later--sometimes sacrificed emotion for pure technique. Very easy to listen to and yet there is some very good playing from every musician involved. Airto has a very unique approach to the drum kit, and Flora Purim's voice sounds steady and as smooth as silk. This record is also a reminder of what a great loss Joe Farrell's passing was to all jazz fans. Clarke wisely keeps himself in check here, but of course, that wouldn't last.

The strongest aspect of this record, however, is Chick's compositions. They are all light, joyful, and intelligent. "Spain" can be found in every jazz fake book.

Easily the best jazz album recorded in 1972, and one of the best of all time.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Album By Chick Corea and Group May 20, 2001

By M. Scagnelli VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

Light as A Feather, Chick Corea and Return To Forever's 1972 release, is full of beutiful melodies and intense playing. This album is essenial in the always expanding catalogue of Chick Corea. Some of the reviews said that the music sounds too pop or sugar coated. This may be true, but the songs are all incredibly beautiful. The three songs featuring vocalist Flora Purim, Light As A Feather, You're Everything and 500 Miles High are all very mellow and beautiful, with great playing by Corea. The songs are all delivered with perfection and grace. The other three songs on the album are instrumentals. The weakest of these is Children's Song, which is very beautiful, but is too short and uneventful. The other two, however, are the highlights of the album. The incredible Captain Marvel is almost a classic. It contains some incredible playing by all the musicians, which is almost hidden under the beautiful melodies. The highlight of the album is the incredible Spain, which has now become a classic. It is possibly the best composition of Corea's long, brilliant career. Light As a Feather is an essential and beautiful album.