"Light as a Feather" is the title track of Return to Forever's 1972 album, a landmark recording in jazz fusion. Composed by bassist Stanley Clarke, the piece features extended solos from Chick Corea on electric piano, Joe Farrell on tenor saxophone, and Clarke himself on acoustic bass. Set in G minor with a 22-bar form and a Latin feel at 130 BPM, the composition showcases the band's unique blend of jazz improvisation, Brazilian rhythms, and accessible melody. Corea's four-chorus electric piano solo is characteristically inventive, blending bebop vocabulary with the atmospheric textures made possible by the Fender Rhodes. Farrell's four tenor saxophone choruses bring a harder-edged jazz sensibility to the Latin groove, while Clarke's two-chorus bass solo demonstrates the virtuosity that would make him one of the most influential bassists in fusion. The album was recorded in London with vocalist Flora Purim and drummer Airto Moreira completing the lineup. Light as a Feather represents the acoustic, Brazilian-influenced incarnation of Return to Forever before the group's later transition to a more electric, rock-oriented sound. The album's accessible beauty and sophisticated musicianship have made it one of the most enduring recordings in the jazz fusion canon.
