Spain (composition)
Encyclopedia
Spain is an instrumental jazz fusion
composition by jazz
pianist
and composer
Chick Corea
. It is probably Corea's most prominent piece, and some would consider it a modern jazz standard
.
Spain was composed in 1971 and appeared in its original (and most well-known) rendition on the album Light as a Feather
, with performances by Corea (Rhodes electric piano
), Airto Moreira
(drums), Flora Purim
(vocals and percussion), Stanley Clarke
(bass), and Joe Farrell
(flute). It has been recorded in several versions, by Corea himself as well as by other artists, including a flamenco version by Paco de Lucia
and John McLaughlin
in the 1980s, and a progressive bluegrass version by Bela Fleck
in 1979. It is also regularly covered onstage by the Indian new-age jazz band Soul'd Out.
The Light as a Feather version of Spain received two Grammy nominations, for Best Instrumental Arrangement
and for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance by a Group. In 2001, Corea was awarded the Best Instrumental Arrangement
Grammy for "Spain for Sextet and Orchestra".
from Joaquin Rodrigo
's Concierto de Aranjuez
. After the intro, the song switches to a fast, steady samba-like rhythm, in which the main theme and an improvisation part are repeated.
The chord progression used during the improvisation part is based on harmonic progressions in Rodrigo's concerto. It runs as follows:
Gmaj7 F#7 Em7 A7 Dmaj7 (Gmaj7) C#7 F#7 Bm B7
In line with jazz philosophy, other interpretations of the song are structured differently and some might only retain the main theme or parts of it.
In the Paco de Lucia and John McLaughlin version some chords are altered in parts, including the F#7 to F# 7 flat 9th or F# 7 augmented 5th and C#7 to C# 7 sharpened 9th.
Various covers by other artists, including:
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
composition by jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Chick Corea
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
. It is probably Corea's most prominent piece, and some would consider it a modern jazz standard
Jazz standard
Jazz standards are musical compositions which are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list of jazz standards, and the list of songs deemed to be...
.
Spain was composed in 1971 and appeared in its original (and most well-known) rendition on the album Light as a Feather
Light as a Feather
Light as a Feather is the second studio album of fusion band Return to Forever, led by keyboardist Chick Corea.The second and last album by the first line-up of Return to Forever was recorded in the same year eight months later. The style of the music remains mostly the same though vocal tracks...
, with performances by Corea (Rhodes electric piano
Rhodes piano
The Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS....
), Airto Moreira
Airto Moreira
Airto Moreira is a Brazilian jazz drummer and percussionist. Airto is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. He currently resides in Los Angeles.-Biography:...
(drums), Flora Purim
Flora Purim
Flora Purim is a Brazilian jazz singer known primarily for her work in the jazz fusion style. She became prominent for her part in Chick Corea's landmark album Return to Forever...
(vocals and percussion), Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke is an American jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and electric bass guitar as well as for his numerous film and television scores...
(bass), and Joe Farrell
Joe Farrell
Joseph Carl Firrantello , known as Joe Farrell, was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. He is best known for a series of albums under his own name on the CTI record label and for playing in the initial incarnation of Chick Corea's Return to Forever.-Biography:Farrell was born in Chicago...
(flute). It has been recorded in several versions, by Corea himself as well as by other artists, including a flamenco version by Paco de Lucia
Paco de Lucía
Paco de Lucía, born Francisco Sánchez Gómez , is a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist and composer. He is considered by many to be one of the finest guitarists in the world and the greatest guitarist of the flamenco genre...
and John McLaughlin
John McLaughlin (musician)
John McLaughlin , also known as Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is an English guitarist, bandleader and composer...
in the 1980s, and a progressive bluegrass version by Bela Fleck
Béla Fleck
Béla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...
in 1979. It is also regularly covered onstage by the Indian new-age jazz band Soul'd Out.
The Light as a Feather version of Spain received two Grammy nominations, for Best Instrumental Arrangement
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement
The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement has been awarded since 1963. The award is presented to the arranger of the music.There have been several minor changes to the name of the award:...
and for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance by a Group. In 2001, Corea was awarded the Best Instrumental Arrangement
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement
The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement has been awarded since 1963. The award is presented to the arranger of the music.There have been several minor changes to the name of the award:...
Grammy for "Spain for Sextet and Orchestra".
The composition
Corea opens the Light as a Feather version of Spain with the adagioTempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
from Joaquin Rodrigo
Joaquín Rodrigo
Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquis of the Gardens of Aranjuez , commonly known as Joaquín Rodrigo, was a composer of classical music and a virtuoso pianist. Despite being nearly blind from an early age, he achieved great success...
's Concierto de Aranjuez
Concierto de Aranjuez
The Concierto de Aranjuez is a composition for classical guitar and orchestra by the Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo. Written in 1939, it is probably Rodrigo's best-known work, and its success established his reputation as one of the most significant Spanish composers of the twentieth century. ...
. After the intro, the song switches to a fast, steady samba-like rhythm, in which the main theme and an improvisation part are repeated.
The chord progression used during the improvisation part is based on harmonic progressions in Rodrigo's concerto. It runs as follows:
Gmaj7 F#7 Em7 A7 Dmaj7 (Gmaj7) C#7 F#7 Bm B7
In line with jazz philosophy, other interpretations of the song are structured differently and some might only retain the main theme or parts of it.
In the Paco de Lucia and John McLaughlin version some chords are altered in parts, including the F#7 to F# 7 flat 9th or F# 7 augmented 5th and C#7 to C# 7 sharpened 9th.
Appearances
- Light as a FeatherLight as a FeatherLight as a Feather is the second studio album of fusion band Return to Forever, led by keyboardist Chick Corea.The second and last album by the first line-up of Return to Forever was recorded in the same year eight months later. The style of the music remains mostly the same though vocal tracks...
(1972) - Chick Corea and Return to ForeverReturn to ForeverReturn to Forever is a jazz fusion group founded and led by keyboardist Chick Corea. Through its existence, the band has cycled through a number of different members, with the only consistent band mate of Corea's being bassist Stanley Clarke... - Akoustic BandChick Corea Akoustic BandAkoustic Band is a 1989 album by Chick Corea's Akoustic Band, featuring Chick Corea with John Patitucci and Dave Weckl.The Allmusic review by Daniel Gioffre states: "After recording a string of fusion records in the late '80s with his Elektric Band, Chick Corea returned to acoustic jazz with this...
(1989) - Chick Corea w. Akoustic Band - PlayPlay (Chick Corea and Bobby McFerrin album)Play is an album by Bobby McFerrin and Chick Corea. -Track listing: # "Spain" – 10:12# "Even From Me" – 6:34# "Autumn Leaves" – 11:41# "Blues Connotation" – 7:13# "'Round Midnight" – 7:59# "Blue Bossa" – 6:14-Production:...
(1990) - Chick Corea w. Bobby McFerrinBobby McFerrinRobert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. is an American vocalist and conductor. He is best known for his 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner.-Life:... - Return to the Seventh Galaxy: The AnthologyReturn to the Seventh Galaxy: The AnthologyReturn to The Seventh Galaxy is an anthology of the 1972 to 1975 years of the various bands assembled by Chick Corea that played under the name "Return to Forever." The album is a compilation of different recordings from different years including the famous Light as a Feather acoustic album...
(CD 1996) - Chick Corea w. Bill Connors, Stanley Clarke & Lenny White - Solo Piano: Originals (CD 2000) - Chick Corea solo
- Corea.Concerto (2001) - Chick Corea w. Origin and the London Philharmonic OrchestraLondon Philharmonic OrchestraThe London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
- Rendezvous in New YorkRendezvous in New YorkRendezvous in New York is an album by American pianist Chick Corea, released on April 22, 2003, on Corea's own Stretch Records, as a two-CD set. The recording took place at the Blue Note club in New York City over the course of three weeks that marked the 60th anniversary of Corea, with nine...
(CD 2003, DVD 2005) - Chick Corea w. Akoustic Band (DVD only), and w/ Bobby McFerrinBobby McFerrinRobert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. is an American vocalist and conductor. He is best known for his 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner.-Life:...
and Bela FleckBéla FleckBéla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...
(DVD only), and w/ Gonzalo RubalcabaGonzalo RubalcabaGonzalo Rubalcaba is a Grammy Award-winning Cuban jazz pianist and composer.Gonzalo Julio Gonzalez Fonseca was born in Havana, Cuba, May 27, 1963, into a musical family rich in the traditions of the country’s artistic past...
(CD/DVD) - Elektric Band: Live at Montreux 2004 (2004) - Chick Corea w. Elektric Band
- Akoustic Band 1991 (DVD 2005) - Chick Corea w. Akoustic Band
- Duet (2009) - Chick Corea & Hiromi Uehara
Various covers by other artists, including:
- Manhattan Wildlife Refuge (1974) - Bill WatrousBill WatrousWilliam Russell Watrous III is a jazz trombonist. He is perhaps best known by casual fans of jazz music for his rendition of Sammy Nestico's arrangement of the Johnny Mandel ballad "A Time for Love," which he recorded on a 1993 album of the same name...
- Live and Improvised (1976) - Blood Sweat & Tears
- Crossing the TracksCrossing the TracksCrossing the Tracks is an eponymous album by American banjoist Béla Fleck, released in 1979. Excellent mix between bluegrass and jazz, original songs and traditional pieces, all done with a bright and joyful élan, this album is a perfect springboard to his coming solo efforts...
(1979) - Bela FleckBéla FleckBéla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in... - This TimeThis Time (Al Jarreau Album)This Time is the fourth studio album by Jazz vocalist Al Jarreau, released in 1980 on Warner Bros. Records. The release marked a change in Jarreau's sound to a more R&B-oriented flavor. As a result, the album achieved more success on the mainstream charts than his previous works, while also topping...
(1980) - Al JarreauAl JarreauAlwin "Al" Lopez Jarreau is a seven-time Grammy Award winning jazz singer.- Background :Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, the fifth of six children. His web site refers to Reservoir, Inc., the name of the street where he lived. His father was a Seventh-Day Adventist Church minister and singer, and... - Live With Vic Juris (1985) - Bireli LagreneBiréli LagrèneBiréli Lagrène is a French guitarist and bassist. He came to prominence in the 1980s for his Django Reinhardt-influenced style on the classical guitar, as well as for being a jazz fusion virtuoso on the electric guitar...
- New Weave (1986) - Rare SilkRare SilkRare Silk was an American jazz vocal group. Consisting of the band members Gaile Gillaspie, Marylynn Gillaspie, Todd Buffa and Marguerite Juenemann , they started out as a swing-oriented group in the vein of The Pied Pipers and The Andrews Sisters...
- Sensacion (1987) - Tito PuenteTito PuenteTito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
- DaybreakDaybreak (Béla Fleck album)Daybreak is an album by American banjoist Béla Fleck. Following his compilation album Places, released in the same year, Fleck continue to merge his bluegrass roots with forays into other genres, which will turn to his Flecktones project in the 90's....
(1987) - Bela FleckBéla FleckBéla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in... - Thousand Wave (1988) - Takahiro MatsumotoTak Matsumotois a Grammy Award-winning Japanese guitarist, producer, arranger, composer, singer and songwriter. In addition to guitarist and lead composer for the hard rock band B'z, he has also had a successful solo career.-Background:...
- GRP All-Star Big Band (1992) - GRP All-Star Big BandGRP All-Star Big BandThe GRP Band was a group compiled in the late 1980s under the direction of Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen, principles of GRP Records. The band was a full band, and they mostly played well-known jazz pieces from the 1950s and 1960s written by famous musicians and composers...
- Rosenberg Trio: Live at the North Sea Jazz Festival (1993) - Rosenberg TrioRosenberg TrioThe Rosenberg Trio are two guitarists and one bassist—Stochelo Rosenberg , Nous'che Rosenberg and Nonnie Rosenberg from the Netherlands. Their inspiration is Django Reinhardt, the legendary gypsy guitarist of the 1930s...
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(1996) - David Grisman QuintetDavid Grisman QuintetDavid Grisman Quintet is a self-styled alternative bluegrass/ acoustic jazz band founded by David Grisman in 1975 in San Francisco, California, USA. Following the Bill Monroe's bluegrass legacy and Django Reinhard's 30s swing, the David Grisman Quintet comes with entirely new style to the acoustic... - Tango del Fuego (1999) - James GalwayJames Galway- External links : IMGArtists.com 15 September 2008. AllAboutJazz.com 5 August 2008.*...
- Czechmate (1999) - Druha TravaDruhá TrávaDruhá Tráva is a bluegrass band from the Czech Republic, formed in 1991 by Robert Křesťan. As of August 2005, they have released eighteen studio albums either as a group or as side projects....
- SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(2000) - Michel CamiloMichel CamiloMichel Camilo is a pianist and composer from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He specializes in jazz, Latin and classical piano work...
& TomatitoTomatitoJosé Fernández Torres, known as Tomatito , is a Spanish Romani flamenco guitarist. He grew up in a musical family, including two uncles: Niño Miguel, a flamenco guitarist, and Antonio, a professional guitarist.... - Q's Blues (2000) - Joshua Q. Paxton
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- Accoustic live (2009) - Pegasus (Issei NoroIssei Norois a Japanese jazz fusion guitarist who is one of the founding members and the main composer of the band Casiopea. He has released 6 solo albums and a compilation. He also works as an instructor of a guitar clinic, and as a producer...
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) - Joe RobinsonJoe Robinson (musician)Joe Robinson , is an Australian guitar player. Robinson is most famous for his fast-paced fingerpicking style and being the winner of the 2008 series of Australia's Got Talent.-Biography:...
and Slava GrigoryanSlava GrigoryanSlava Grigoryan is an Australian classical guitarist and recording artist of Armenian heritage.He was born in Kazakhstan to Eduard and Irina Grigoryan, both professional violinists. His family emigrated to Australia in 1981 and he was raised in Melbourne. Grigoryan began to study guitar with his...
for Hey Hey It's SaturdayHey Hey It's SaturdayHey Hey It's Saturday was a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 27 years , debuting on the Nine Network on 9 October 1971 and broadcasting its last episode on 20 November 1999. Its host throughout its entire run was Daryl Somers, who would later...
in 2009 - SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(2008) - José PástorJosé PastorJosé Pastor Catalán was a Spanish boxer who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics.In 1924 he was eliminated in the second round of the bantamweight class after losing his fight to Jacques Lemouton....