"Spain" from Return to Forever's 1972 album Light as a Feather is one of the most famous compositions in jazz fusion, opening with a rubato introduction based on Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez before launching into Chick Corea's exhilarating original melody. The piece features extended solos from Joe Farrell on flute, Corea on electric piano, and Stanley Clarke on acoustic bass. Set in E major with a 24-bar form and a samba feel at approximately 138 BPM, the composition brilliantly synthesizes Spanish classical music, Brazilian rhythm, and jazz improvisation. Farrell's five-chorus flute solo is a tour de force of lyrical invention, while Corea's five electric piano choruses display the virtuosity and harmonic daring that define his best work. Clarke contributes three bass choruses of remarkable musicality. The composition's unforgettable melody, with its rising and falling contour suggesting the passion and drama of flamenco, has made it one of the most widely performed jazz compositions of the post-1960s era. Corea would continue to perform and reinvent "Spain" throughout his career in countless configurations. The original album recording, with Flora Purim's vocal and Airto Moreira's percussion adding to the ensemble's color, remains the definitive version of what has become a cornerstone of the modern jazz repertoire.
