Bolivia (Walton song)

"Bolivia" is a jazz standard written by American jazz pianist Cedar Walton. It is regarded as his best-known composition.

Background
Bolivia was first recorded on Eastern Rebellion's self-titled album released in 1976 with Cedar Walton on piano, George Coleman on tenor saxophone, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums.

Musical composition


Bolivia is composed in G major and typically played in an Afro-Cuban style.

The song contains a bass ostinato that is repeated throughout the first 16 bars of the song. The first 16 bars are entirely based upon a G7(13) chord.

The B section—or the final 16 bars—contains the following form. After the B-section, the song repeats with the same bass ostinato.

Notable recordings

 * Eastern Rebellion in Eastern Rebellion (1976)
 * Sam Jones in Something in Common (1978)
 * Doug Raney Quintet in I'll Close My Eyes (1982)
 * Freddie Hubbard in Bolivia (1991)
 * Cody Moffett in Evidence (1993)
 * John Carlini in Further Adventures (2007)
 * Sean Dobbins and the Modern Jazz Messengers in Blue Horizons (2008)