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The crown jewel of the epic Evans/Davis triptych that began with MILES AHEAD and PORGY AND BESS, SKETCHES OF SPAIN is as emotionally compelling as any performance in the trumpeter's remarkable body of works. Combining as it does the emotional gravity of two cultures--the deep song of flamenco music and the rich lament of the blues--SKETCHES OF SPAIN is a musical hybrid of enormous power and beauty. Gil Evans' immense canvas of orchestral colors inspires some of Davis' most deeply felt solo flights. He paints vast vistas of velvety, shimmering night sounds, and through it all runs the mountainous backbone of Spain's native rhythms and chants.
The centerpiece of SKETCHES OF SPAIN is the Evans/Davis treatment of the second movement of Rodrigo's "Concierto De Aranjuez." Evans' charts engage Davis in a shifting, insistent dialogue, italicizing the trumpeter's subtle variations and timbral ecstasies with magnificent orchestral flourishes. The surreal patina of three flutes and harp, high muted trumpets and woodwinds, and subterranean trombones, French horns and tuba that define one of the main variations on the theme, is a majestic foil for Davis' expressive tones.
Gil Evans liked to say that after Louis Armstrong, no one had affected the sound of the trumpet like Miles Davis. Miles fashioned a vibrato-less, introspective brass cry, made all the more lovely by his lush use of the middle and lower registers. Davis' manipulation of pitch on "Saeta" and "Solea" is so idiomatic, so vocalized, so full of revel and lament, it pierces your heart with heroic resignation and longing. SKETCHES OF SPAIN stands alone as one of the pillars of modern music.
Liner Note Authors: Nat Hentoff; Phil Schaap.
Recording information: 30th Street Studio, New York, NY (11/15/1959-03/10/1960); Street Studio, New York, NY (11/15/1959-03/10/1960).
Directors: Seth Rothstein; Kevin Gore; Steven Berkowitz.
Photographers: Vernon Smith; Verne Smith.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Jimmy McAllister; Vernon Smith; Frank Rehak; John Barrows; James Buffington.
Arranger: Gil Evans.
Personnel: Miles Davis (flageolet, trumpet, flugelhorn); Janet Putnam (harp); Harold Feldman (flute, clarinet, oboe, flugelhorn); Al Block (flute, oboe, flugelhorn, tuba); Eddie Caine (flute, flugelhorn); Albert Block (flute); Danny Bank (clarinet, bass clarinet); Romeo Penque (oboe); Jack Knitzer (bassoon); Louis Mucci, Ernie Royal, Johnny Coles, Taft Jordan, Bernie Glow (trumpet); James Buffington (French horn, horns, Fender Rhodes piano); Tony Miranda, Joe Singer, John Barrows, Earl Chapin (French horn); Dick Hixon, Frank Rehak (trombone); Jimmy McAllister, Billy Ray Barber, Billy Barber (tuba); Jimmy Cobb (drums); Elvin Jones, Jose Mangual (percussion).
Audio Remasterer: Phil Schaap.
Q (1/00, p.134) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...fierce Spanish folk melodies...took orchestral jazz in a new direction....features Davis' trumpet in all its drifting, dry, abstract beauty." Down Beat (p.61) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "With SKETCHES OF SPAIN, Davis' music continued its modal moves away from bebop's busy density, opting to highlight his strengths, which emphasized feeling and lyric expression over technique." Down Beat (1960) - 5 Stars - Excellent - "...One of the most important musical triumphs that this century has yet produced....If there is to be a new jazz, a SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME, then this is the beginning..." Goldmine - 3.5 Stars - "...Brilliantly remixed..." Record Collector (magazine) (p.98) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "Almost panoramic in scope and fusing jazz with classical music, the album kicked off with an epic 16-minute version of Spanish composer Rodrigo's guitar concerto, transcribed for trumpet and orchestra."
a collaberation of geniuses I first bought this record in 1963 in San Francisco after I had seen his group at the Blackhawk and was totally awestruck by this man. This joining of minds was a stroke of genious and it still fresh today. Submitted by singlemalt.1 (seaside,or 97138) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 5 of 8 found this helpful.
Classical and jazz in a 1959 blockbuster Sketches of Spain was recorded in 1959, just a few months following the recordings for Kind of Blue. That was a great year for jazz. I still have my first stereo LPs of both albums and a copy still in wrappers, as well as the CD. The only deficiencies in the CD are the two alternate takes on Concierto de Aranjuez, but this does illustrate the difficulty level of the score by Gil Evans and the brilliant performance by Miles Davis in the originally released recording of Concierto. Of lesser importance, the inclusion of Song of Our Country in the CD (also not in the originally released version of Sketches) is at once puzzling - particularly in view of similar spanish-theme collaborations by Miles and Gil in the 1957 recording of Miles Ahead Miles Davis +19. It is difficult to choose a favorite of the five original tracks released in 1960, but the fifth track, Solea, is probably the most prominent following Concierto. At 43 years later, this music is still one of the most outstanding recordings of the past century and it represents a most successful confluence of jazz and classical genres. I listen to the CD often - even as background, but usuually sans the three extra tracks - and it still sounds like new music. The Gil Evans score is one of his best pieces of work, and the excellence of the orchestra is truly outstanding in this one-of-a-kind recording. Enjoy it with Kind of Blue. Submitted by a reviewer (Albuquerque, NM, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 2 of 4 found this helpful.
It's Miles; It's Gil Evans; It's a Classic A few extra tracks have been added since this was originally recorded and I program them out. However the 5 original tracks rate the 5 star essential classic jazz rating. It's a beautiful thing to hear. Miles is so smooth at this that it's difficult me me to know exactly when he's improvising and not doing so. Let me repeat. It's a beautiful thing to hear. Submitted by jksp (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 3 found this helpful.
Truly; Transporting The combined "Blood, Sweat, and Tears"
of Gil Evans and Miles Davis (along
with the other important figures here)makes this album a excellent choice for any music library. Craig Mac. Submitted by craig2248 (Southampton Pa.) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 4 found this helpful.
Miles & Gil--genius personified Even though this was recorded over 45 years ago it is still fresh and exciting. All three collaborations are just plain genius Submitted by singlemalt.1 (seaside, ore. usa) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 3 found this helpful. This review is for a different format.
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