# CD review: Chick Corea – The Spanish Heart Band – Antidote 2019: Video, CD cover

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2019/06/29/cd-review-chick-corea-the-spanish-heart-band-antidote-2019-video-cd-cover/
- Published: 2019-06-29T15:07:54+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**The Spanish Heart Band – Antidote, due out June 28 on Concord Jazz, revisits songs
from Corea’s classic albums My Spanish Heart and Touchstone with a multi-cultural
octet, plus new compositions and guest appearances by vocalists Rubén Blades, Gayle
Moran Corea, and Maria Bianca.**

Throughout his storied career, iconic pianist/keyboardist Chick Corea has explored
a wealth of music from across borders both geographical and stylistic. Time and 
again over the decades he’s returned to what he calls his “Spanish Heart” – the 
Spanish, Latin and flamenco traditions that have indelibly shaped his unmistakable
sound. Now, with his new album Antidote, recorded with his brand-new Spanish Heart
Band, Corea once again delves deeply into the Latin side of his musical heritage
with a stunning collection of musicians from Spain, Cuba, Venezuela and the U.S.

Corea’s debut release with the Spanish Heart Band revisits classic pieces from two
of the bandleader’s most beloved albums, My Spanish Heart and Touchstone, along 
with new compositions and favorites by revered composers like Antônio Carlos Jobim,
Paco de Lucía and Igor Stravinsky.

Due out June 28, 2019 from Concord Jazz, Antidote is just that – a musical cure 
for a turbulent time, bringing together artists from diverse cultures to make harmonious
music together. In addition to this stellar new ensemble, the recording features
guest appearances by the acclaimed Panamanian vocalist Rubén Blades and gifted singers
Gayle Moran Corea and Maria Bianca.

“My genetics are Italian,” Corea says, “but my heart is Spanish. I grew up with 
that music. This new band is a mix of all the wonderful and various aspects of my
love and lifetime experience with these rhythms that have been such a big part of
my musical heritage.”

To embark on this vibrant exploration, the 77-year-old keyboard virtuoso has assembled
a brilliant eight-piece band: Flamenco guitarist Niño Josele and saxophonist/flutist
Jorge Pardo both hail from Spain and have both worked with the late flamenco master
Paco de Lucía. Bassist Carlitos Del Puerto was born in Havana, Cuba and played on
Chinese Butterfly, Corea’s 2017 collaboration with legendary drummer Steve Gadd –
as did Venezuelan percussionist Luisito Quintero.

Trumpeter Michael Rodriguez and trombonist Steve Davis form an unstoppable horn 
front line, while Marcus Gilmore follows in the footsteps of his grandfather, the
great Roy Haynes, as a master drummer (and close collaborator with Corea). The band
is augmented by the fiery footwork of rising star flamenco dancer Nino de los Reyes.

“Continuing along the lines of his landmark recordings, Touchstone and My Spanish
Heart,” says John Burk, Concord Records President, “Chick applies his creative genius
to further explorations of Spanish and Afro-Cuban styles with an exceptional cast
of musicians, to produce some of the most thrilling, dynamic, and deeply musical
work of his entire career.”

With a band of incredibly versatile musicians and his usual wide horizons, Corea
composed a set of music that draws from a wealth of sources – jazz and Latin music,
naturally, but also classical, funk and fusion elements. “This is the mixer,” he
says, pointing to his head. “I drink in the culture around me, which is rich in 
ideas. I’m excited about this record because there are a lot of influences that 
come through in it.”

There has been a Latin tinge to Corea’s music almost as long as he’s been performing.
His first gig upon arriving in New York City in 1960 was with the influential Cuban-
born percussionist Mongo Santamaría at Birdland. As he recalls, “Four doors up from
Birdland on Broadway was the Palladium, where you could hear people like Tito Puente,
Machito, Ray Barretto, Eddie Palmieri. I used to jump out of my gig [during breaks]
and go stand in front of the bandstand at the Palladium. So the jazz scene that 
I came up in was very much a part of what I call my ‘Spanish Heart.’”

Corea has made no secret for his love of Spanish, Latin and flamenco music. In 1972
he debuted perhaps his most well-known composition, “Spain,” inspired by Joaquin
Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. The piece has been recorded countless times since,
including versions by de Lucía and Tito Puente. In 1976 he released My Spanish Heart,
an innovative session combining jazz fusion with traditional Latin music; it went
on to become one of Corea’s most successful albums and is universally considered
a classic. 16 years later, he visited similar terrain on the even more expansive
Touchstone, which spotlights his collaboration with de Lucía.

Corea revisits songs from both classic albums on Antidote. The title song from My
Spanish Heart opens with a lush, moving vocal choir recorded by Corea’s longtime
musical and life partner, Gayle Moran Corea. Stark piano chords lead into the familiar
song, rendered here with an emotionally stirring vocal by Rubén Blades. The band
then breaks into the electrifying dance of “Armando’s Rhumba,” a song penned by 
Corea in tribute to his father from the same album.

From Touchstone, Corea first offers an atmospheric rendition of “Duende,” with an
evocative palette featuring Pardo’s soaring flute and thrilling interplay between
the eloquent horns of Davis and Rodriguez. Quintero’s percussion dialogues with 
the rapid-fire patter of Nino de los Reyes’ dancing feet to open “Yellow Nimbus,”
originally written as a duet for Corea and de Lucía. Here the pianist’s flurries
are joined by the flamenco master’s virtuosic protégé, Niño Josele.

De Lucía composed “Zyryab,” named for the Persian-African poet and musician from
9th-century Spain who was credited with introducing the lute to the Spanish court,
destined to evolve into the flamenco guitar. Corea recorded the original version
with the guitarist in 1990 and revisits its blend of Spanish and Middle Eastern 
influences in intriguing fashion here.

Another blend of disparate genres shines through on “Pas de Deux,” a piece from 
Stravinsky’s ballet “The Fairy’s Kiss.” Corea’s solo piano arrangement weaves into
his original piece “Admiration,” celebrating the feeling the bandleader has towards
not only his inspirations but the remarkable ensemble that navigate his tricky stylistic
mergers. The final composition Corea chooses to explore is Jobim’s classic “Desafinado,”
which features the soulful vocals of Maria Bianca relating the tale of a love affair
gone slightly out of tune.

The album opens with the title track, “Antidote,” a heartfelt entreaty written by
Corea for Blades. The pianist’s lyric is a mission statement, defying the divisive
issues we face with the fact that, “Music, musicians and all artists are the antidote
to man’s inhumanity to man.” The music on Antidote captures that feeling with healing
camaraderie, with the added spirit that Corea embraces in his lyric for “My Spanish
Heart.”

**Tracklist:**

1. Antidote (feat. Rubén Blades) (09:14)
 2. Duende (10:11) 3. The Yellow Nimbus,
Pt. 1 (05:47) 4. The Yellow Nimbus, Pt. 2 (05:55) 5. Prelude to My Spanish Heart(
feat. Gayle Moran Corea) (01:11) 6. My Spanish Heart (feat. Rubén Blades & Gayle
Moran Corea) (06:56) 7. Armando’s Rhumba (08:00) 8. Desafinado (feat. Maria Bianca)(
05:03) 9. Zyryab (11:54) 10. Pas De Deux (01:40) 11. Admiration (08:28)

**Chick Corea, piano**
 **Carlitos Del Puerto, bass** **Marcus Gilmore, drums** **
Michael Rodriguez, trumpet** **Steve Davis, trombone** **Jorge Pardo, saxophone,
flute** **Luisito Quintero, percussion** **Nino Josele, guitar (Yello Nimbus – Part
2)** **Nino de los Reyes, dancer (Yello Nimbus – Part 2)**

![Image result for Chick Corea - The Spanish Heart Band - Antidote](https://i0.wp.
com/glidemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Chick_Corea_SpanishHeart_Antidote_RGB.
jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

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