Light as a Feather

Return to Forever, Chick Corea

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1972
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B0000046YK
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,669 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Ren (Knoxville, TN United States) - See all my reviews

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.

6 of 6 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

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.

5 of 5 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 (Brandon, Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.