**Title: ** Armando’s Rhumba Artist: Chick Corea Album: My Spanish Heart Released in: 1976
Chords
Sheet and/or tab
Pay attention to the last 3x3 bars in a row at the end. Tricky to read writted like this, but the melody is correct.
Music analysis
The theme follow the chord, using mostly Cm arpegios. The A turn around a Minor II-V-I in Cm with a dominantized II acting like the V7 of Cm’s V7. It then, on the B section, goes to the IVm using the C7b9 as V7alt -> Im7 and the same in Gm, which is the Vm of C. The Ab°7 act as passing chords, very similar to G7alt, then goes to the D7b9 keep the A at the bass. Bb7sus is the V7sus -> IIIb6 where Eb is just the major relative of Cm. G7alt at the end to come back to Cm.
For the solo, it’s mostly playing Minor II-V-I lines, using the Harmonic Minor scale on the dominant chords to give this arabic/spanish/flamenca flavor. It could be interesting to highlight some guides tones for the B part, especialy to go through the line from Ab° to Bb7sus.
Other versions
I love this take, with Gary Burton where Chick Corea is also playing the vibraphone, very funny though.
My favorite alternative version of this tune is from the great Michel Camilo in his album “Thru My Eyes”, with I think, Anthony Jackson on the bass and Horacio “El Negro” Hernández on the drums. Those polyrythms and latin feel from Horacio are just amazing. Also the dynamic in his solo is very well controlled. Especialy those typic cuban/montuno lines from 2:06 are adding a lot to his solo.
This one is a reedition from Chick Corea with the Spanish Heart Band, including Marcus Gilmore on the drums. The arrangement is spectacular and I’m thrilled to hear how Chick Corea can reinvent his most played songs like this.
This one is a guitar duet, the guys are very good, playing it in a gypsy/flamenca flavor, using real rhumba flamenca rhythms at the guitar and gypsy lines from Django Reinhardt (2:05, Minor Swing quote). There’s a lot of great ideas in terms of rhythms, espacialy the end from 2:32 with the montuno licks.
Talking about gypsy, this version from Rosenberg Trio, famous gypsy jazz guitar players. Very fast playing here and an awesome percussion solo! Great rubato intro though.
Guitar tuto where the melody is highlighted on a fretboard. When putting in playback speed -0.5, we can see the fingering.
Related songs
A lot of latin songs are related, but mostly some of Chick Corea, of course. We’re finding the same kind of lines and influences in “Night Streets” :