The World Cup final is right around the corner, this weekend! Are you excited to see Spain and Portugal kick it out? Maybe you and your friends are putting on some jerseys and getting together for a watch party, or going out for some drinks. It should be a heated game this year with the European champion, Spain, against the winning team of last year’s World Cup, Argentina. While you’re getting ready for the game, what music are you going to listen to? Well, in honor of this year’s World Cup, NiA made you a curated playlist of Argentine and Spanish jazz music. Enjoy! And don’t miss the game on Sunday, July 19 at 3pm E.T.
The original version of this song, written by Mexican concert pianist Conselo Velázquez in 1932 when she was still a teenager, is the most recorded and covered Spanish-language song of all time. Her lyrics about wanting to be kissed a lot and the tenderness of new love resonated with women who were waiting for their husbands to come back from the WWII battlefronts. In 1943, Argentine jazz guitarist Oscar Alemán released a swing guitar rendition that quickly became famous, and will have you and your friends dancing around in no time!
Pedro Iturralde Ochoa – Pequeña Czarda
Ochoa studied clarinet, piano and harmony at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid, and then went on to lead his own jazz quartet that experimented with the combined use of flamenco and jazz. This 1949 composition is a tour de force of the saxophone! Composed when he was just 20 years old, this showpiece blends classical and jazz elements and has remained a pedagogical staple and popular concert repertoire worldwide for decades. Sit back, relax and experience the sweeping landscape of the saxophone.
Roxana Amed – Blue in Green (Sky and Sea)
Amed is an Argentine-American jazz artist who was born in Buenos Aires and is now based in the U.S. She is a vocalist, composer and producer, who has been nominated for a Latin Grammy, and is considered one of the most prominent voices in contemporary South American music. Her music blends South American folk traditions with art rock and modern jazz. Amed’s rendition of Miles Davis’s song offers a soft, groovy and funky vibe that’ll put everyone in a good mood for the World Cup final, no matter who you’re cheering for. After all, what is life if not a dream of blue and green?
Tete Montoliu – Paraules d’Amor
Vicenç Montoliu i Massana, better known as Tete Montoliu, was a Spanish jazz pianist from Catalonia. Montoliu was born blind and learned braille music at only age seven. His styles ran the gamut from hard bop to Afro-Cuban, world fusion and post bop. This beautiful 1969 tune is a jazzy adaptation of Joan Manuel Serrat’s famous song, and showcases Montoliu’s deep roots in Catalan music.
Spinetta Los Amigos – Apenas Floto
Luis Alberto Spinetta was an Argentine singer, guitarist, composer, writer and poet, who was a frontrunner of Argentine rock music. Born in Buenos Aires, Spinetta founded many iconic rock bands, including the Spinetta Los Amigos. Although the Spinetta Los Amigos was only together for this one album, released in 2015, you can hear the years of work and experience that was poured into it. This album grew from several recordings that Spinetta made with his bandmates and friends Daniel Ferrón and Rodolfo García with whom he had previously shared a band.
We hope that you enjoyed learning a bit about Argentine and Spanish jazz musicians. I sure know I did! Now go grab a cold one and let the excitement of the World Cup final wash over you.
written by Jacqueline Knirnschild
Photo by Emilio Garcia on Unsplash
