Sketches Of Spain

As most readers familiar with Miles Davis' music will know, `Sketches of Spain' recorded in 1959-60 was his third and final collaborative project with orchestral arranger Gil Evans. The original album release, distilled from the recording sessions, explored the musical styles of the Iberian Peninsula and has a distinctive feel quite different from Miles' other work: listeners familiar with classical music who never previously connected with jazz often found SoS to be an accessible gateway to other innovative jazz compositions of the era.The opener was an extended re-interpretation of the second (slow) movement of J. Roderigo's modern impressionist-classical piece `Concierto di Aranjuez', which Miles listened to repeatedly in 1959 and declared "I couldn't get it out of my mind." Gil's orchestration for an ensemble of brass and woodwind anchors the melody, is faithful to Roderigo's score and captures the spirit of the piece to perfection. It is more classical (i.e. rigid) in structure than normally found in jazz, allowing only constrained improvisation around the melody. In re-interpreting Roderigo's score for the guitar, Miles responded to the more formalised framework with understated mastery and worked with the orchestra to fine result. Roderigo, by the way, didn't like it: the brass-dominated orchestral sound too much of a departure from his vision; the absence of the Spanish guitar at the heart of the piece, and the second movement of the concerto removed from the context of the faster and more upbeat first and third movements not at all to the composer's taste. However, in the context of the other pieces on Miles and Gil's "Sketches of Spain" it fits perfectly and sets the mood.`Will o' the Wisp', `The Pan Piper' and `Saeta', each different but blending seamlessly with `Aranjuez' in style and confirming the mood, completed the original album. The long closer, `Solea' (12.08) was an attention-grabber grounded on Gil's percussion-dominant orchestration, an invitation to which Miles responds with intelligence and expressive sensitivity to weave a fine tapestry filled with moments of tension and delight, still in the Iberian mode.The CD cover-presentation of this extended 2-disk edition is (confusingly) identical to that of the original album: the 50/50 bright yellow-sky red-earth impressionistic sketch overlaid with black titling and small silhouette of a trumpet player in profile. The content, however, features a lot of new material and, IMO, is worth having even if you have the original single disk.The 70 minutes or so of new material, mainly on the second disk, includes `The Maids of Cadiz' previously released on `Miles Ahead' in 1957, and genuinely at home nested here amongst Evans' main body of Iberian-inspired orchestral work with Miles. Several alternate takes of CdA are offered, previously available only on the 1996 release `The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings', plus the only extant audience-live recording of the piece with Gil Evans conducting the orchestra, previously available on the 1987-released `The Legendary Carnegie Hall Concert'. Other new material includes two versions of `Song of our Country' and an interesting closing piece, `Teo.' A pdf file may be accessed from the disks and a well-written and professionally produced booklet with fine photography from the sessions and notes written by Gunther Schuller completes the package.Some great photos of Gil and Miles are included. Overall, at the offer price, this is the best version of `Sketches of Spain' to buy: you get all the music with great sound resolution, and a lot more besides.

Of course 'Sketches of Spain' is a well known masterpiece, but included on this CD is an earlier recording called 'Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants'. It was a poll winners group that included Milt Jackson and Thelonious Monk, and to this day rumours persist of a punch up in the studio between Miles and Thelonious! Be what may, there was obviously a strained atmosphere going on that led to some wonderful jazz!

Got into Miles (and Jazz in general) with this album, as a recommendation from my teacher at the time. Timeless album, Miles' first after "Kind of Blue". Since I've spent lots of time in Spain, it feels good to have those memories and feelings with Miles' sound.

Despite the fact that this release on vinyl doesn't look like it has a lot going for it, it's actually quite good. I own several audiophile pressings of it and while it may not complete with them all, it's solid and worthy of grabbing, especially if this is your first-bought copy. Will knock most UK recuts even from the early 70's.

It's Miles Davis.It's Jazz at its best.Nothing more to say.

Buy it immediately - I play and replay frequently. Moody, passionate and thrilling. Just love it and so does the Boss - sorry I meant my darling wife (she's used to my terrible humour - just!)

great album the vinyl sounds fantastic

Superb version-even on coloured vinyl, prompt delivery and arrived in the condition stated