Chick Corea – The Leprechaun

Chick Corea – The Leprechaun

Released in 1976 on Polydor, The Leprechaun is one of the most distinctive albums in Chick Corea's 1970s catalogue. Recorded in New York in 1975 while Corea was still deeply involved with Return To Forever, the album takes his jazz-fusion language in a more elaborate and orchestral direction, combining acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, organ and synthesizers with brass, strings, bass, drums and vocals.

Corea produced, arranged and orchestrated the album himself, with an impressive ensemble including Steve Gadd on drums, Eddie Gomez and Anthony Jackson on bass, Joe Farrell on reeds, and Gayle Moran on vocals. The horn and string sections add a chamber-music quality to the record, while Corea's extensive use of electronic keyboards gives the music a distinctly futuristic 1970s character. The result is jazz fusion that can move effortlessly between delicate piano passages, synthesizer textures, intricate ensemble arrangements and more energetic rhythmic sections.

The album has an almost fantastical, storybook atmosphere. “Imp's Welcome” opens with atmospheric keyboards before “Lenore” and the brief “Reverie” introduce a more lyrical side of Corea's writing. “Looking At The World” features Gayle Moran's vocals, while the lively “Nite Sprite” brings Joe Farrell's reeds into the foreground. “Soft And Gentle”, written by Moran, provides another softer, more vocal-oriented moment before the playful “Pixiland Rag” leads into the album's centrepiece, the 13-minute “Leprechaun's Dream”.

The long closing piece is particularly representative of the album's ambition, bringing together Corea's keyboards, rhythm section, reeds, brass and strings into an extended piece of progressive jazz-fusion. The Leprechaun was subsequently recognised with two Grammy Awards, including Best Jazz Performance by a Group and Best Instrumental Arrangement for “Leprechaun's Dream”, underlining its importance within Corea's highly productive 1970s period.

For collectors of Chick Corea, jazz fusion, Return To Forever, progressive jazz and 1970s electronic keyboards, The Leprechaun is an especially rewarding album. Its combination of jazz improvisation, sophisticated orchestration, analogue synthesizers and whimsical fantasy themes makes it a fascinating companion to Corea's other major 1970s projects, including My Spanish Heart and Return To Forever's Romantic Warrior.

Side A

1. Imp's Welcome – 2:55
2. Lenore – 3:25
3. Reverie – 1:58
4. Looking At The World – 5:29
5. Nite Sprite – 4:31

Side B

1. Soft And Gentle – 5:08
2. Pixiland Rag – 1:10
3. Leprechaun's Dream – 13:03