Track Listing

1. Concierto de Aranjuez
2. Will O' the Wisp
3. Pan Piper
4. Saeta
5. Solea
6. Song of Our Country [Issued Take][*]
7. Concierto de Aranjuez, Pt. 1 [Alternate Take][*]
8. Concierto de Aranjuez, Pt. 2 (Ending) [Alternate Take][*]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1474 in Music
• Released on: 1997-09-23
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered

Amazon.com essential recording
Miles Davis's impact on jazz is almost incalculable. From his early days as a sideman for Charlie Parker, through his groundbreaking Birth of the Cool sessions, to his stunning small groups of the '50s and '60s, through to his electric renaissance, the trumpeter, bandleader, and composer has left a deep mark on all who came after. He is one of jazz's true giants. Sketches of Spain, though one of Davis's most commercially successful sessions, is also one of his most controversial. Re-teaming with arranger and composer Gil Evans, who played such a pivotal role in Davis's 1949 Birth of the Cool recordings, Davis recorded a series of large group albums beginning in the late '50s, including Porgy and Bess, Miles Ahead, and Quiet Nights. Sketches of Spain, with its emphasis on flamenco, rich orchestrations, and relaxed tempos, is certainly one of Davis's most mellow recordings (he even works out on fluegelhorn), and proved to have broad appeal. To some critics, however, the project was "elevated elevator music." An expanded version of the album, featuring alternative tracks and unreleased material, was issued in 1997 by Columbia Legacy. --Fred Goodman

Customer Reviews

Jazz Tone Poems
Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain

Among instrumentalists, the collaborations of Miles Davis and Gil Evans are often controversial. Though people universally acknowledge that Evans was a genius as an arranger, it's not easy for those who want a full out hard-bop blowing session to adjust to the cool colors and laid back aesthetic of these works. For many; the most difficult of the Davis/Evans collaborations is this third one in the series. While Miles Ahead and Porgy and Bess both have obvious roots in big band writing, Sketches of Spain delves into material that was generally not in the mainstream at the time. That it does so with subtlety and style is something that can often be overlooked by those who wish that Miles would blow more.

Sketches of Spain has its genesis in the slow movement of the Rodrigo Concierto di Arguanez, one of the most beloved pieces of classical music out of Spain. Both Miles and Gil Evans were taken with the piece when they were introduced to it and it forms the centerpiece of the album, and the number that seems to register the greatest number of complaints. Purists in the classical world dislike it's fast and loose treatment of the original work, and in fact, Rodrigo was on record as detesting the final product. And jazz musicians felt the work to be pretentious, with not enough room for Miles to solo, and not enough out and out swing. There was also a feeling that the work was just blatantly copied from it's origins and that any brilliance in the work was due to Rodrigo, not to Evans.

A careful hearing, especially a side-by-side comparison with the original Concierto, can dispel much of the criticism of this work. Evans does not merely imitate the piece; he imaginatively rethinks it for wind ensemble. Instead of the spare English Horn and strings with which Rodrigo opens the work, Evans creates a shimmering bed of castanets and harp, over which he layers low flutes and French horns an muted brass, moving in a dense carpet of parallel fourths. While the main points of the original form are followed, with Miles taking mostly the guitar parts, there are many sections that illustrate the genius of Evans, the arranger. Particularly impressive is Evans rethinking of the guitar cadenzas. For the first cadenza Evans contrasts Miles in his dark low register, with beautifully balanced chords in the flutes and low brass, characterized by unusual voicings that include tense dissonances at the top of the chord. Also stunning is the original section that Evans uses to replace the second cadenza. The bass begins an understated vamp. Miles solos over it with his typical cool understatement and the orchestra builds to the climax of the work.

The other cuts on the album are even more understated, but also highly original. Two particularly stand out. Saeta is inspired by a traditional Holy Week procession in which an effigy is paraded through a town, interrupted by a long mournful solo by Davis. The orchestration in this part is stunning. Evans layers martial percussion, a faint bassoon solo and a brass band against Miles' beautiful trumpet. The effect is a jazz tone poem, in the best tradition of the Ellington Orchestra.

The other standout on the album is Solea. This work is a long, beautiful Miles solo over a constantly changing orchestral vamp. Evans shows considerable ingenuity in constantly varying the rather static two-chord vamp, and Miles is given just one scale to improvise on. Though this album came out after Kind of Blue, it was recorded several months earlier, and you can see the influence that Evans had on Miles' revolutionary small group album.

The re-mastering of this album is terrific. The clarity by which you can hear the delicate sounds such as the castanets and the harp is truly lovely. It compares favorably to the old LP version. My one gripe with this reissue, which I have with most of the Columbia reissue series, is that the filler material is basically not worthy to be released. On this one, the filler includes a Brazilian character piece, which belongs in the filler to the Quiet Nights album instead, and two alternative versions of parts of the Concierto. Though last pieces have some documentary value, they are both vastly inferior to the final product and are ultimately annoying to listen to. I would prefer to have the album as it was finally released and save this sort of material for boxed set compilations, even if that means I only get 40 minutes worth of music.

In conclusion, this is a classic album, worthy to join the other Evans/Davis collaborations. It even pushes the art of jazz arranging farther than the other records. And the influence of this work on the history of jazz arranging and composition can't be overestimated. Don Sebesky, Bill Holman and numerous other large group arrangers continually show their debt to the genius of Evans. But, for those who want to hear Miles blow; stick with the quintet and sextet albums from this period. Sketches of Spain does feature Miles, but the real star of the album is the arranging.

4 ½ * Brooding Colors: A Mostly Superb Effort
This is a favorite of many Miles fans, and for good reason, it's an impressionistic yet accessible introduction to the Miles canon. It features what some might call "classical" orchestrations, though this is misleading: The term is too broad. It's probably more precise to trace the album to impressionist composers such as Ravel and Debussy.

The long, "classical" piece, "Concierto de Aranjuez (16 minutes, 14 seconds)," is the one most often criticized. To call it "elevator music" is ridiculous, but the composition is heavy on orchestration and much too light on improvisation. Although there's a nice tempo break at one point, it doesn't demand much of us-this may appeal to some listeners, but I found it somewhat dry and ascetic. Still, it sometimes conveys a poignant delicacy. The "long form" in jazz has always been problematic; I don't think this piece is wholly successful, but will probably be enjoyed by most. The last cut, "Solea" (see below) is a better long piece, with more tension and texture.

"Will O' the Wisp" is a much shorter (3:48) piece but involves Miles a little more than "Concierto." The middle section is superb, replete with dissonance and Miles' beautiful tone. "The Pan Piper" (3:57) is similar but more brooding, with Miles layering thoughtful lines against flutes and violins. IT features excellent dynamics and the economical expression of great emotion that are Davis trademarks. The march-influenced "Saeta" (4:57) has a wonderful "Moorish" sound to it, and Miles does some tremendous blowing against a simple background of percussion, strings, and horns. This is a superb example of contained energy.

The final composition "Solea" (12:08) is a more fully realized attempt at long forms. Miles' burnished tone and rhythmic variation, the lush orchestration, percussive effects, and the tension between horn and background offer more drama, texture, and color than does "Concierto." Davis and Evans sustain our attention throughout the entire piece.

Is it worth buying? Certainly (and I'm reviewing the older version without the added tracks). Although I find the similarly atmospheric "In a Silent Way" (and "Kind of Blue") more compelling, this is well worth your time and money. (Note: Liner notes include commentary on the material, but nothing on personnel or recording dates.) Subdued yet challenging enough to capture your imagination.

THE Classical meets Jazz album
This album is a collaboration between Gil Evans and Miles Davis and what they created will forever change the Jazz and Classical world. A mixture of Spanish classical scores, and jazz melody.

As Duke Ellington said, "It is becoming increasingly difficult to decide where jazz starts or where it stops, where Tin Pan Alley begins and jazz ends, or even where the borderline lies between classical music and jazz. I feel there is no boundary line." If was any boundary line left when this album came out, it was definately obliviated after this.

This is a perfect piece to listen to in the morning, or anytime when you are just relaxing. I have never been to Spain, but if I went it would probably have trouble competing with the experience of this music. The remastered version is very well done, and the sound is phenomenal for a 1959 recording. The Sound stage is wide and open. And Davis's trumpet is clear and focused. If you want to bridge the gap either from jazz to classical, or vice versa this is the album to do it with. If you love Miles Davis and want something very relaxing and beautiful from him this is a great album to own. Essential for Miles Davis fans.