My favorite period of Miles Davis’ oeuvre is the late 50s,
when he released the masterpieces Workin’,
Cookin’, Relaxin’ and Kind of Blue,
as well as Birth of the Cool (an
essential compilation of earlier work produced in the late 40s). However, I pick
Sketches of Spain for its odd place
in Davis’ discography. In fact, this record arguably contains the least jazzy
music that he ever put out; I dare say that the music here is hardly jazz.
After listening to and marveling at Joaquín Rodrigo’s
composition for classical guitar Concierto
de Aranjuez, Davis teamed up with longtime collaborator Gil Evans to
produce a record revolving around this piece. Davis and Evans eventually delved
deep into Spanish music, and ended up conjuring a soundscape tinged with Hispanic
flavor. The record opens with the second movement of Concierto de Aranjuez where classical guitar is front and center,
with adept accompaniment by Davis on flugelhorn and trumpet. Horns gain
momentum in the haunting “Will-o'-the-Wisp”, another Spanish piece from Manuel
de Falla’s El Amor Brujo. The last three
tracks of the album are original compositions by Evans, and successfully give
continuity to the flamenco-flavored procession of the two aforementioned
covers.
I leave you with the album closer, “Solea”, perhaps Sketches of Spain at its jazziest:
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