Miles Davis: Sketches Of Spain - 1960
This was an interesting project and makes for a satisfying listen, either in full, or dipping into it. Despite its obvious worth, I I have to admit to preferring Rodrigo's original Spanish guitar composition of the lead-off music, which was just so atmospheric. Davis's interpretation is undoubtedly a fine one too, I'm not disputing that in any way. This is a landmark, high stature album.
There is still plenty to get enthused about on here, though, notably the flamenco meets jazz pastiche of Will O' The Wisp - building on A Kind Of Blue's Flamenco Sketches - and the very Spanish classical influences of The Pan Piper. Both of these are comparatively shorter numbers, but are nonetheless appealing for it.
The second of the album's lengthy twin bookends - which began with the sixteen-minute Concierto D'Aranjuez - was Gil Evan's subtly grandiose Solea. Get a load of the infectiously rhythmic trumpet and drums bit around 2:17 onwards - seriously good music. I'm getting all bona fide jazzer now, aren't I?
The more I listen to this album, the more perfect it sounds. A track like Saeta, despite its somewhat impressionistic sounds, is packed full of mysterious atmosphere as well, alongside some military-sounding grandeur.
In 1960, knowledge of Spanish culture was not as widespread as it is today - people had not started taking regular holidays there, so this album opened the ears of many to Spanish-influenced sounds.
The album remains one of Davis's best and most critically-acclaimed. For confirmation of that - read the above sleeve notes, which say it better than I can. When I review rock, soul, reggae etc I can write from the depth of my longtime-honed and developed musical soul and knowledge. With jazz I have to rely on my ears to newly educate my soul. Well, they have most certainly done that here. This is just great instrumental music and it definitely feeds that soul. Listening to it this morning has made my spirits soar. You can't argue with true class when you hear it, it hits you right between the ears.
