This 1976 release features Chick Corea in what was then, and remains, a unique musical setting. While it is truly an electric jazz fusion record, it is also the only solo recording of Corea's on which he attempted to truly explore the Latin side of his musical heritage. My Spanish Heart marks a full-scale, yet thoroughly modern, exploration in the musical lineage Corea sprang from. Making full use of synthesizer technology, a string section, and synth-linked choruses – of two voices, his own and that of Gayle Moran – as well as percussionist Don Alias, drummer Steve Gadd, a full brass section, and the sparse use of Jean Luc Ponty ("Armando's Rumba") and bassist Stanley Clark, Corea largely succeeded in creating a Spanish/Latin tapestry of sounds, textures, impressions, and even two suites – "Spanish Fantasy" and "El Bozo."
At the beginning of the 16th century a mighty axis was formed in Europe: the Spanish royal house joined with the Habsburg Empire, to which belonged also the nothern parts of Italy. These ties were a reason for numerous travels undertaken by envoys, diplomats and also rulers, who usually – as an important element of representation – were accompanied by ensembles of trumpeters. A huge ensemble of the Viennese court ca 1600 consisted of 30 trumpet and timpani players. Its Spanish counterparts were two slightly smaller ensembles: first, established before joining Isabela and Ferdinand courts, and the other one: a newly-founded ensemble of the Italian trumpet players.
Antidote is a completely forward-thinking album, yet its roots date to the 1960s, near the beginning of his career when he played in the bands of Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo. During this period, he encountered the great Latin bandleaders of the era including Machito, Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, and Eddie Palmieri. In 1972, he penned the iconic composition "Spain," inspired by Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. In 1976, Corea issued his milestone My Spanish Heart, that married fusion to Latin music. In 1982, he delivered another landmark with the Latin-tinged offering Touchstone, which featured flamenco master Paco De Lucia, and in 1990, Corea played on his Zyryab.
Willie Bobo's 1965 LP, Spanish Grease, has been combined with his Uno Dos Tres 1-2-3 LP from 1966 on one CD reissue. One pass through the title cut of Spanish Grease and you know that Carlos Santana was listening. The easy R&B/Latin jazz shuffle on this Bobo original, with its mix of Spanish and English vocals, is an obvious touchstone to cuts like "Evil Ways" on Santana's first two albums. What a shame, then, that the rest of the record is primarily comprised of covers of pop hits of the day like "It's Not Unusual" (a vocal and an instrumental version!) and "Our Day Will Come." The timbales player and his band lay down respectable grooves, but "Spanish Grease" is the only original on the album, and by far the most rewarding number. Similarly, the toughest and most memorable track on Uno Dos Tres 1-2-3 is the one Bobo original, "Fried Neck Bones and Some Home Fries." Its creeping Latin soul groove was, like "Spanish Grease," an obvious inspiration for Carlos Santana. But on most of the rest of the recording, Bobo coasts through interpretations of period hits like "Michelle," "Goin' Out of My Head," and Jay & the Americans' (!) "Come a Little Bit Closer," with some jazz and pop standards as well.
‘A Tiempo Real’ is the new album from the traditional Spanish folk band Vigüela. It is a double-disc of almost 100 minutes of carefully arranged traditional folk songs and is as much album as a lively preservation project. ‘A Tiempo Real’ is a cultural contribution to Spanish folk music as performed in village life in homes, festivities and celebrations in the province of Castilla-La Mancha and beyond.
Rare grooves from the pulpiest regions of Spanish cinema from late 60s to late 70s – soft core erotica, comedies and otherwise exploitation style films! Needless to say, the subject matter made plenty of room for Spanish styled blaxploitation & sound library influenced grooves, psychedelic funk & rock! Laid down with flute, fuzzy guitars, organs and more – groovy, seedy stuff!