Customer Reviews

My Spanish Heart

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We love Spanish folk music, and the flamenco tradition particularly; I am not a great jazz fan per se, but I have seen Corea live and have witnessed the verve and heart he brings to various strands of jazz tradition. So, on balance, I came to this album prepared to like it. And to be sure there is a great deal to like; still, my ear has questions.

I will have bad news and good news, and will get the bad out of the way. A lot of the synthesizer sounds are goofy, and sufficiently goofy to get in this listener's way, at any rate. Which strikes me all the more as a shame, considering what a great and rich sound the old grand piano has, and how impressive Corea's chops are. This is not a blanket criticism of synthesizers (little sympathy though I have with `em); some of the sounds on the album are all right, insofar as they dpn't get in the music's way. But there are tracks whose actual musical merits are badly compromised by ridiculous synthesized timbres - No one would have taken Winston Churchill seriously, if he had spoken in a Goofy voice.

On a less dire note, Gayle Moran's vocalise is a little whooshy for my taste, although it works reasonably well for the few tracks on which she appears.

But that is the worst of the news, and is more than balanced by this album's overwhelming strengths. Against the questionable decision reflected in some of the syntho-sound, you have the tasteful inclusion of three real-live trumpeters. No keyboard is any substitute for this archetype of Spanish sound.

Corea's musical world is focused, vibrant, rhythmically and harmonically assured, and these characteristics are well represented on this album: "The Hilltop," Part III of "El Bozo" (which comes close to redeeming what are for me the album's most egregious electronic offenses), but most especially the four-part "Spanish Fantasy" which is the most accomplished and convincing musical statement I have heard Corea make, all the more vital for its giving itself into the stream of tradition.

Corea's use of the string quartet is playful; "Day Danse" here recalls his use of the quartet with Al DiMeola on "Isfahan." (Indeed, "Night Streets" will be sonically familiar territory to anyone acquainted with "Splendido Motel.")

There is plenty of music here which dances with a light heart and sure feet; plenty of impassioned elegance; plenty of affectionate references to various Spanish and Latin musical traditions. And these real strengths of the album carry it above the occasionally vexatious electronica.

On this album, Chick Corea explores the world of spanish folk-music, without leaving his fine jazzfeelings behind. He accomplishes to make an album, that leaves you breathless, only wishing it would never stop. He proves his worth both as a pianist and a composer, as well as a bandleader. His timing and expression, combined with the worldclass rhythmsection, is a pure pleasure for the listener. Add the beautiful stringsection, the agressive horns, and, of course, Jean-Luc Pontys exclusive jazzviolin, and you have one of the best albums ever to be recorded. Pointing to the future, but still keeping an eye on the traditions, excellent!

I love hearing when a "serious" musician can have a little fun! And Chick Corea and his slew of top-bar guest musicians do just that on this disc. With the help of Steve Gadd on drums, Stan Clarke on acoustic bass, Jean-Luc Ponty on violin and Don Alias on percussion, Chick Corea (playing a arsenal of various keyed instruments) has created a thouroughly enjoyable romp through Latin-tingued fusion. A lot of this sounds very much like Polydor era RTF, but for the most part, this album is its own master, from the slick and heavey romance of 'Love Castle' to the playful 'El Bozo' and the tributary 'Spanish Fantasy'. This is an honestly fun album, and 'fun' is a word that doesn't seem to be in the vocabulary of many jazz artists. Some of the sounds may be outdated here (who uses Moogs anymore?), but the feeling and the music is timeless...

Contrary to popular opinion I feel the 70's fusion movement was the last great blast of creative energy that blew through jazz before it sunk irretrievably into a tired old formula. There has been very little in this music beyond blowing an endless stream of hot licks over a (TWO FIVE ONE) chord progression. On this album Chick takes an interesting stacatto approach to the great MINIMOOG synth. His use of multitrack vocals, double tracked piano and string quartet are also innovative and unique. Contributions from Jean-Luc Ponty and Stanley Clark add greatly to the musical interest of this fine recording, a prime artifact of the last great era of jazz.

Jazz's very survival during the 1970s and beyond depended upon its ability to morph into this hybrid called "fusion"." It is a testament to the power of various artists of the period that this musical genre changed and has become more resilient and beautiful for doing so. On a more elemental level, it reminds one of certain viruses escaping the effects of antibiotics! Quest for survival demands change and disparate measures. The 1970s was a great creative period in jazz history.

My Spanish Heart" (1976) rates highest on my list of jazz-fusion "high octane" albums from the 70s musical landscape. It, along with Chick Corea's "Return to Forever" (1972), Al Dimeola's "Elegant Gypsy" (1977), Stan Getz's "Captian Marvel" (1972), and Gato Barbieri's "Fenix" (1971), have a strong Spanish "tinge". Others worthy of inclusion in a "best of jazz fusion" collection include Chick Corea's "Romantic Warrior" (1976), McCoy Tyner's "Fly with the Wind" (1976), Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Inner Mounting Flame" (1970), Keith Jarrett's "Expectations" (1971) & "Belonging" (1974), Weather Report's "Weather Report" (1971) & "Heavy Weather" (1976), John Klemmer's "Waterfalls" (1972) and Eberhard Weber's "Colours of Chloe" (1974) & "Silent Feet" (1978). Many 70s fusion albums are dated and painful to listen to. Not these.

Corea brought together one of the tightest-ever supergroups when he recruited Stanley Clarke, Lenny White and Al di Meola in the early 1970s to form Return to Forever version 2 or 3. Together they recorded three of the best progressive rock albums of the era, in the shape of 'Where Have I Known You Before', 'No Mystery' and 'Romantic Warrior'. (I never understood why these were located in the 'Jazz' section of record stores when all the ELP albums were in the 'Rock' section.) Although many jazz critics thought the whole RtF thing was a hideous waste of talent, it seemed the band could do no wrong in the eyes of their fans.

But then di Meola and White left the band, and it quickly became clear to even the most loyal fans that Corea's judgement was suspect. Corea cobbled together a new RtF with Moran and Farrell, and produced the abysmal 'Musicmagic' -- never had so many fans been so disappointed. And a few months prior to that, he recorded 'My Spanish Heart'.

'My Spanish Heart' is by no means all bad, but I bet Corea spends little time listening to it himself. I bought the double LP back in 1977 and now the single CD. CD makes life very convenient: with the LP, you were getting up and flipping discs over every 17 minutes or so. Now you can just zip past such excrescences as 'El Bozo Part II' with the touch of a button on your remote.

As noted elsewhere, the synthesizers now sound overblown and get in the way. Farewell polymoogs and ARP odysseys. The acoustic tracks have weathered the past 25 years much better. Most of the tracks on which Stanley Clarke appears are good, particularly 'Armando's Rhumba'. Keyboard bass doesn't work too badly: 'Spanish Fantasy Part 11' is good, and 'Love Castle', take away Gayle Moran's vocalising, is also well-structured.

Handclaps and foot-stamping are provided by Corea himself, but my mental image is less of a great musician stomping in the studio and more of Manuel from 'Fawlty Towers' performing an impromptu flamenco. I just wonder how seriously Corea and his band took the music at the time.

Even the positive reviews of "My Spanish Heart" apologize for the electric piano, and it seems to be the main reason for most of the negative reviews. I can see how someone might be turned off by the comparatively harsh tone versus the warm timbre of an acoustic piano. However I think some have made the mistake of thinking that the synthesizer is nothing more than an artifact of '70s production. They're overlooking the reason Corea, Herbie Hancock, and other pianists use it, which is that they can produce a huge range of sounds that simply aren't possible on an acoustic piano.

No one seems to be debating Corea's talent as a composer, so if you like other Chick Corea albums and enjoy the electric piano as an instrument in its own right, you'll like "My Spanish Heart," too. If you can't get past the artificial sound of the synthesizer, this is probably not for you. However, I would encourage you to give it a try. If you can appreciate the relatively mellower sounds of "Light as a Feather", which also makes heavy use the synth, you should be able to stretch a little bit and get into this as well. There's so much creativity in the way Corea uses the instrument, it would be a shame to overlook it because it doesn't sound like a piano.

I give this album five stars because Chick Corea is always worth five stars: an energizing performer, and this an energizing album. The opening track, Love Castle, is a dancer and it will make you smile! Then Mr. Corea treats us to some solo playing, classical, jazzy, but up all the way. This album is an upper. Night Streets is another dancer ... and by the way, the horns on this album are just snappy and brilliant. Then there's the peculiar but smile-inducing Wind Danse, in which Gayle Moran strays into the stratosphere while Chick tries to hold her down by making the progression more and more plain with the passing bars. Ah, but who cares if Gayle is lost? The track makes you laugh! Then, El Bozo. Vintage electronic Corea. Very powerful in places, and sometimes just bizarre. The Spanish Fantasy is the most serious composition, and closest to RTF and earlier solo albums. Jean-Luc Ponty helps Corea finish off the album with The Clouds, a bonus track that's jazzy but simple: a nice breather from the dramatic endings that Corea always likes. If you haven't heard this album and you like Chick Corea, buy it!

Greetings,

This is one of the best album I've heard. Is it jazz, rock, prog rock or world music? Who cares? What it is is a damn good album!

This album will definitely appeal to fans of Weather Report. I remember buying this album when I was a teen. I didn't like it much back then. What a difference 20 years make! ;)

moontan

I bought this album years ago ... so I am dating myself ... in 94 the Blue Devils played music from this CD ... always takes me back to 94 ... no one plays Latin Jazz like the Blue Devils ... and thanks to Chick Corea for writing great music