THE LEPRECHAUN

This album is reputed as one of the more popular and best known solo pieces of work ever released by Corea, and such extended adhesion is, I think, fairly justified. The general sound is charming, the musicianship flawless, and besides, it contains some tracks being the most "radio friendly" that he can be accused of, like is the case with Track 5, Nite Sprite, a nice infectious melody backed with the fusion sound typical or the era by the impressive band .

The opener is just an ambiance setting little instrumental intro left to synths, while playing with the pitch bend in a quirky microtonal manner that sounds like a proper presentation of the leprechaun character.

Track 2, Lenore is a classic of Corea's repertoire, led by the acoustic piano on the jazz side of this equation. Every word reserved for the artist masterful touch falls necessarily short here. The angelic voice of Gayle Moran brings an air of female charm to the proceedings, as required by the track title.

Reverie is a nice little interlude left to piano and vocals, and Looking At The World sees the return of the full-blown band, bringing a complex fusion workout, full of captivating accent displacements.

The final track turns to be, possibly, the most "prog oriented" of the bunch, since it's introduced by an exquisite string arrangement in impressionistic style. The full array of musicians take part in the subsequent development. First, the band resumes their jazz-rock duties, and then the strings return, joining the brass instruments for a sort of Grand Finale, even including the haunting soprano stylings, courtesy of Mrs. Moran.

I think The Leprechaun is an essential part of Chick Corea's recorded legacy, an ideal mix of charm with stratospheric technical proficiency.