lambchops's Full Review: Sketches of Spain [Legacy Edition] [Remaster] by M...
Sketches of Spain was not the first album I thought of when it was suggested I review Miles Davis. I’m certainly familiar with the jazzman’s name and some of his more popular songs (both standards and originals), but as far as real knowledge goes I’m still more than a little fuzzy. I’m learning and growing from my experience with Sketches of Spain.
A St. Louis native, Miles Davis began taking trumpet lessons around age twelve. He picked up the instrument that would propel him to the forefront of jazz quickly and by the time he was sixteen and seventeen was already touring. After high school, Davis found himself inspired by both Dizzie Gillespie and Charlie Parker and when he moved to New York City for college (Institute of Musical Art, later renamed Julliard) he found himself playing clubs with Parker. Within a few years, Davis formed his own band and was signed to Capitol. The rest is of course history.
Over the course of his four decade career, Davis released countless albums. His nature was restless—he was never content to stay in one jazz mode for long. He was always a step ahead of jazz as it changed. It took until 1969’s Bitches Brew for his music to go gold. That album is even today one of the artist’s most popular. It won the second of eight Grammy awards that Davis collected for his jazz performances. Of course there’s much more to him than just one or two albums. Perusing through Davis’ discography uncovers many gems from his earliest Birth of Cool (1949) through 1955’s ‘Round About Midnight, 1959’s Kind of Blue, 1972’s On the Corner, and beyond.
Sketches of Spain (1959) came about during one of Davis’ best and most prolific musical periods. It earned him his first Grammy and even more respect from the jazz community. It was centered on the classical piece Concierto de Aranjuez from Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo. Davis fixated on the song and unable to get it out of his mind and along with frequent collaborator Gil Evans an album concept was born. Sketches of Spain in the end took Davis’ affinity for Spanish music as evidenced in songs like Flamenco Sketches (Kind of Blue) and Blues for Pablo (Miles Ahead) and extended it into a modern jazz concerto. The layers of strings, woodwinds, and brass are representative of Davis’ imaginative vision, but the distinctly Spanish flair makes this album something more and different. Sketches of Spain is a surprisingly lovely piece of art.
Concierto de Aranjuez begins the album. A moving piece, Davis’ trumpet is featured in the forefront. He is rich and dynamic in his performance. While the song lasts sixteen minutes, it passes by in a flash. Brilliant, sweeping, and relaxing I cannot conjure the vocabulary to suitably describe the moving selection. What I can say is that I see the spark that so inspired Davis to conceptualize Sketches of Spain. The songs that follow Rodrigo’s composition are culled from a variety of sources. The common thread of course is that they are all in a Spanish style. This is honestly an album that is less jazz than classical. I can honestly say that I’ve never heard an individual so completely absorb, understand, and interpret the musical culture of another land.
Davis and Evans continue their magical collaboration and striking timbre with a selection from Manuel de Falla’s 1915 ballet score El Amor Brujo (The Love Wizard). Will o’ the Wisp forms a striking, rich tapestry around which Davis and Evans molded a challenging but infinitely rewarding movement. It is truly splendid—an unusual blend of the classic and contemporary. Evans stumbled upon an unlikely piece of inspiration in the third song. The Pan Piper is a rousing “morning song” apparently sung at festival time. It once again incorporates the textures and facets that made the previous two songs but as with all of the five selections it goes in a fresh and interesting new jazz direction.
Saeta is an interesting inclusion. It is a religious processional that is traditionally sung without accompaniment during the Holy Week in Seville. Searching my mind, I am uncertain why it is familiar to me—but it is. Substituting gorgeous and emotional instruments for the traditionally female voice the song takes on new life. It is lovely and wonderful and in the end one of the most moving moments of the album. The final song is Solea based on the Andalusion tradition of songs of longing or lament. It’s a kind of “blues” very much in the same vein as American blues. The basic flamenco form is perfectly suited to both this album and the talents of the duo. It truly is fascinating.
Sketches of Spain is without a doubt a classic. If you’ve ever doubted the ability of the jazz form to bend and mold to other nations and styles then you’ll be in for a surprise. It is a magical, perfect, emotional, and musically complete album.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Concierto de Aranjuez
02. Will o’ the Wisp
03. The Pan Piper
04. Saeta
05. Solea
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This review has been part of the ISYMIYSMY (aka I’ll Show You Mine if You Show Me Yours) w/o hosted every year by the famous MattA75. It is he who I traded muses with this year—he gave me Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain while I suggested he enjoy MC 900 Ft. Jesus’ One Step Ahead of the Spider. We’ll see what he thinks of that also oddly jazz influenced release.
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