Litha is an instrumental jazz composition by the pianist Chick Corea, who is its sole writer. The list of post-1950 jazz standards on English Wikipedia dates it to 1966. Corea first recorded it himself on Tones for Joan's Bones, his debut album as leader, made at Atlantic Studios in New York on November 30 and December 1, 1966 and released in April 1968 on Vortex/Atlantic, produced by Herbie Mann.
The earliest known recording is by the Stan Getz Quartet, taped on March 30, 1967 at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs and issued on Getz's album Sweet Rain (Verve, July 1967). Corea played piano in that group, with Ron Carter on bass and Grady Tate on drums; he had joined Getz after Gary Burton left in December 1966. Discogs files Sweet Rain under jazz, bossa nova and cool jazz. Later versions include recordings by Joe Locke, the Tony Purrone Trio, Eric Ineke and Rob van Bavel.
