The Jazz–Flamenco Connection: Chick Corea and Paco de Lucía Between 1976 and 1982

Abstract

The close collaboration between Chick Corea and Paco de Lucia shows a clear example of the connection between jazz and flamenco. The release of Corea’s My Spanish Heart (1976), an explicit approach to the Latin and Spanish musical spheres, and the recordings of Paco de Lucia with jazz saxophonist Pedro Iturralde in the late 60’s led Paco and Chick to discover one another. This article offers an analytical perspective of the early years of this collaboration by reviewing Corea’s records My Spanish Heart and Touchstone (1982) , and De Lucia’s Paco de Lucia Interpreta a Manuel de Falla (1978) and Solo Quiero Caminar (1981), not only through the solos of the guitarist and pianist, but also through those played by the musicians who recorded and toured with both of them in the following years: Jorge Pardo and Carles Benavent.