Sketches of Spain
Miles Davis
Conducted by Gil Evans
This is one of the greatest albums ever made. Miles can be heard developing his calm, confident emotional flow on the trumpet on earlier records, like Kind of Blue. Here in Sketches of Spain, however, his playing, though no less passionate, is incredibly developed.
Gil Evans conducts the orchestra with magical enthusiasm, beyond classification as jazz or classical, this music reflects the wonder of Spain but does not strictly follow Flamenco forms. In its groove it is very modern and jazzy, but the level of arrangement and orchestration is truly above and beyond, and should be respected as a work of art like the greatest classical music, that has stood the test of time.
Over all the musicians, Davis's trumpet bleeds and cries, singing of New York city streets and the night, reefer smoke whispering Iberian fields, drifting away...