Stories of Standards: “Spain” by Chick Corea

Tune in to Jazz with Victor Cooper – weekdays from 6-9 a.m. MT – for Stories of Standards to hear our favorite versions of this song presented by Rodney Franks all week long starting Monday, March 4!

Stories of Standards is sponsored by ListenUp - If you love music, you’ll love ListenUp.

“Spain” (1971) by Chick Corea initially was recorded on the album “Light as a Feather”, where it received two Grammy nominations (Best Instrumental Arrangement and Best Instrumental Performance by a Group). Corea was awarded the Best Instrumental Arrangement Grammy for “Spain for Sextet and Orchestra”. “Spain” opens with the Adagio from Joaquin Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” and is the song for which Corea is best known.

Chick Corea (12 June 1941-present) has won more than 20 Grammy Awards and been nominated over 60 times. Corea became interested in Scientology in 1968 after reading the book “Dianetics” by L. Ron Hubbard. Corea was excluded from a 1993 concert in Germany after the state government of Baden-Württemberg announced that it would review subsidies for events which included members of Scientology. Corea has not been banned from performing in Germany and had several appearances at the government-supported International Jazz Festival in Burghausen, where he was awarded a plaque in Burghausen’s “Street of Fame” in 2011.