Why is this called ‘Spain’ by Chick Corea and not Improvisation (or variation) on a theme by Rodrigo? I mean, great music, great performance, but credit where credit’s due! (And if you don’t know, check out Concerto de Aranjuez by Rodrigo).
Credit indeed! Corea's "Spain" was directly inspired by the 2nd movement of Rodrigo's famous Concerto de Aranjuez which was also the inspiration for the A-side of Miles Davis' 1960 LP "Sketches of Spain" (Corea was a member of Miles' so-called "Lost Quintet" in 1969. Chick Corea started performing "Spain" in the early 1970's and the nod to Rodrigo was quite explicit--I believe the Rodrigo quote was even made clear in the liner notes from the Return to Forever album that the song first appears on, but I haven't referred to those in awhile so I might be wrong. Corea's composition is not a variation on the 2nd movement of the Rodrigo, it simply quotes the Rodrigo, then proceeds to a new, original piece. Both Matthew McAllister and I have performed Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez with orchestras, we're big fans of the piece and I'm looking forward to performing the work this season with the Traverse City Philharmonic.
