Spain (composition)

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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.

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".

[edit] The composition

Corea opens the Light as a Feather version of Spain with the adagio 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.

[edit] Appearances

• Light as a Feather (1972) - Chick Corea and Return to Forever
• Akoustic Band (1989) - Chick Corea w. Akoustic Band
• Play (1990) - Chick Corea w. Bobby McFerrin
• Return to the Seventh Galaxy: The Anthology (CD 1996) - Chick Corea w. Al Dimeola, Stanley Clarke & Lenny White
• Solo Piano: Originals (CD 2000) - Chick Corea solo
• Corea.Concerto (2001) - Chick Corea w. Origin and the London Philharmonic Orchestra
• Rendezvous in New York (CD 2003, DVD 2005) - Chick Corea w. Akoustic Band (DVD only), and w/ Bobby McFerrin and Bela Fleck (DVD only), and w/ Gonzalo Rubalcaba (CD/DVD)
• Elektric Band: Live at Montreux 2004 (2004) - Chick Corea w. Elektric Band
• Akoustic Band 1991 (DVD 2005) - Chick Corea w. Akoustic Band

Various covers by other artists, including:

• Manhattan Wildlife Refuge (1974) - Bill Watrous
• Live and Improvised (1976) - Blood Sweat & Tears
• Crossing the Tracks (1979) - Bela Fleck
• This Time (1980) - Al Jarreau
• Live With Vic Juris (1985) - Bireli Lagrene
• Sensacion (1987) - Tito Puente
• Daybreak (1987) - Bela Fleck
• Thousand Wave (1988) - Takahiro Matsumoto
• Live at the North Sea Jazz Festival (1993) - Rosenberg Trio
• DGQ-20 (1996) - David Grisman Quintet
• Tango del Fuego (1999) - James Galway
• Czechmate (1999) - Druha Trava
• Spain (2000) - Michel Camilo & Tomatito
• Q's Blues (2000) - Joshua Q. Paxton
• La Nuit Des Gitans (2001) - Raphael Fays
• Cross Current (2005) - Jake Shimabukuro
• Gently Weeps (2006) - Jake Shimabukuro

[edit] Quotes

• If there is any one song that listeners seem to know me best by, I guess that song is "Spain," as I get the most requests for it and hear it mentioned more than any of the others. — Liner notes to Corea.Concerto

[edit] References

• Official biography