Jazz Style: Analysis Of An Instrumental Jazz Fusion Composition ‘Spain’ By Chick Corea

Jazz is developed in United State by the African Americans in the late 19th and the early 20th of centuries. Jazz is an independent and a well-known music style in America. It’s the performance-oriented Jazz style by the European American and the African American. Jazz is spread over a period of hundred years and giving the huge scope of Jazz music. The birth of Jazz has intellectual in the multicultural society of America. Jazz is spread all over the world and has made heavy use of syncopation, polyrhythm’s, improvisation and swung note.

Jazz has the best performance style in the world, due to its improvisation and his consistency. In Jazz, the centrality in the improvisation the old forms of Jazz music. The earlier blue music has come from work song, which focuses on improvisation. The primary goal of classical performer was to play with composition and that is written. Even Jazz is given as a group activities product, collaboration and interaction. In Jazz the skilled and best performer is interpret a tune in a different way and never play a same composition exactly two times that it depends on the performer’s mood and experience.

Throughout the decades, jazz music history has seen a significant evolution in style, technique and in characteristics. One of the general characteristics of jazz style we are going to be focusing on is Jazz-Rock, the style that be formed by combining Jazz and Rock music, known as Fusion. The best-known musicians for Jazz-Rock must be Miles Davis and Chick Corea. Here, I will analysis one of my favorite jazz music ‘Spain’, which was written by Chick Corea in 1972, an amazing and excellent magnum opus of Jazz-Rock and a fantastic solo combination of Piano, bass, flute vocals and drums.

‘Spain’ is an instrumental jazz fusion composition by jazz pianist and composer Chick Corea. It is likely Corea’s most recognized piece, and some would consider it a modern jazz standard. The song is introduced with a lengthy piano solo with a cello in the background complimenting the piano. It is played in common time (4/4) and is originally played at a very fast pace. The head can be separated to 9 parts (might be wrong), which are fanfare – 1:14, A – 1:20, break – 1:31, fanfare – 1:42, A – 1:48, break – 1:59, B – 2:08, C – 2:30 and break – 2:36. After the intro, the song switches to a fast, Latin jazz samba rhythm, in which the main theme and an improvisation part are repeated. The percussion and woodwind instruments are then introduced. The flutes are accompanying the piano’s melody, while the business keeps a fast and steady pace. The piano, bass guitar, flutes, brass, and percussion all took turns soloing. Farrell‘s solo with flute didn’t go through the entire form. His solo starts from 2:46 and end at 4:33 and can be separated to 5 parts. I like Farrell’s solo more since the rhythm is more natural. Before Corea’s solo coming, there is another section exists. I would say this section is the repeat of Head part, but only repeat the prat from 2:08 to 2:35. Corea’s solo with electrical piano was impressive and dramatic and it was from 05:10 to 06:57. Comparing “Birdland” and “Spain”, although they are both fusion style and both great and beautiful, “Spain” contains more characteristics of traditional jazz and I really like flute’s solo part.

In conclusion, although Jazz-Rock is the combination of jazz and rock music and some jazz fans don’t recognize it as the traditional jazz style, Jazz-Rock music fits the elements of jazz. I want to say the ‘Spain’ is the most organized jazz music that I’ve ever heard. It had specific lyrics and everything moving on the expected way. Jazz-Rock is beautiful and fantastic and it truly prove the possibility of combination of two totally different music.