Sketches of Spain
| Sketches of Spain | ||||
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| Studio album by Miles Davis | ||||
| Released | July 18, 1960 | |||
| Recorded | November 20, 1959; March 10, 1960 Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York |
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| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 41:19 | |||
| Label | Columbia CL 1480 |
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| Producer | Teo Macero & Irving Townsend | |||
| Miles Davis chronology | ||||
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Sketches of Spain is an album by Miles Davis, recorded between November 1959 and March 1960 at the Columbia 30th Street Studio in New York City.
The album pairs Davis with arranger and composer Gil Evans, with whom he had collaborated on several other projects, on a program of compositions largely derived from the Spanish folk tradition. An extended version of the second movement of Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez is also included, as well as a song called "Will o' the Wisp", from the ballet El amor brujo by Manuel de Falla.
Contents |
[edit] Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [1] |
| Down Beat | [2] |
| Penguin Guide to Jazz |  [3] |
| Pitchfork | (10.0/10)[4] |
| Pitchfork | (8.0/10)[5] |
| Q | [6] |
| Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
 This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information. |
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Sketches of Spain is considered by fans and critics alike, to be one of the most accessible albums of Davis's career. Less improvisational than much of his other work, some of Davis' contemporaries[who?] suggested that Sketches of Spain was something other than jazz. Davis replied (according to Rolling Stone magazine), "It's music, and I like it".[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide calls it "a work of unparalleled grace and lyricisim."[7]
In 2003, the album was ranked number 356 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[8]
[edit] Track listing
- Side one
- "Concierto de Aranjuez" (Adagio) (Joaquín Rodrigo) – 16:19
- "Will o' the Wisp" (Manuel de Falla) – 3:47
- Side two
- "The Pan Piper" (Gil Evans) – 3:52
- "Saeta" (Evans) – 5:06
- "Solea" (Evans) – 12:15
- 1997 reissue bonus tracks
- "Song of Our Country" (Evans) – 3:23
- "Concierto de Aranjuez" (alternative take; part 1) (Rodrigo) – 12:04
- "Concierto de Aranjuez" (alternative take; part 2 ending) (Rodrigo) – 3:33
[edit] Personnel
In alphabetical order (Note: this list actually encompasses the total musicians used on several sessions in late 1959 and early 1960. The actual number of players on the piece was 19.)
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[edit] In popular culture
- Bassist and multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin considers Sketches of Spain as one of his favourite albums.
- Buckethead's 2002 album, Electric Tears, contains a song entitled "Sketches of Spain (For Miles)".
- Two Almodóvar films have featured songs from this album: Tacones lejanos (High Heels), where "Solea" is heard over the opening credits; and La flor de mi secreto (The flower of my secret), where "Saeta" is heard in a ballet scene.
- In Haruki Murakami's novel, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, the main character owns a signed copy of Sketches of Spain.
- In the movie The Salton Sea, Val Kilmer's character plays an excerpt from the song Saeta on his trumpet. It is also a prevailing song throughout the movie.
- Hip-Hop Producer DJ Premier sampled "Will O' the Wisp" for the tracks "Invasion" and "Wrath of the Math" for the Jeru The Damaja 1996 album Wrath of the Math.
- In 2010, a cover of the album was recorded featuring Lew Soloff, Solo Trumpet, with Steve Richman conducting the Harmonie Ensemble/New York.
- In concert, the Grateful Dead occasionally played a jam inspired by "Solea" that was dubbed by fans as "Spanish Jam". Examples of this jam can be heard on various concert recordings, including Dick's Picks Volume 6.[9]
[edit] References
- ^ Jurek, Thom. Sketches of Spain at Allmusic. Retrieved 15 September 2005.
- ^ "Tower Records listing". Tower.com. 1997-09-23. http://www.tower.com/sketches-spain-miles-davis-cd/wapi/106693154. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- ^ The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD (6th ed.). Penguin Books. 2002. ISBN 9780140515213. Cited at "Sketches of Spain rankings and ratings". AcclaimedMusic.net. http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/Current/A1877.htm. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
- ^ Schreiber, Ryan (October 1997). "Miles Davis Sketches of Spain > Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 3 November 2005. http://web.archive.org/web/20051103083341/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/d/davis_miles/sketches-of-spain.shtml. Retrieved 30 January 2006.
- ^ Richardson, Mark (June 5, 2009). "Miles Davis Sketches of Spain Legacy Edition > Album Review". Pitchfork. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/reviews/albums/13088-sketches-of-spain-legacy-edition/. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
- ^ "''Sketches of Spain'' details at". Cduniverse.com. http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1088638/a/Sketches+Of+Spain.htm. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- ^ a b Considine, J.D. (2004). "Miles Davis". In Brackett, Nathan with Hoard, Christian. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. London: Fireside. pp. 214–217. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=lRgtYCC6OUwC&pg=PA214&dq=. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
- ^ a b Levy, Joe; Steven Van Zandt (2006) [2005]. "356 | Sketches of Spain - Miles Davis". Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (3rd ed.). London: Turnaround. ISBN 1932958614. OCLC 70672814. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/sketches-of-spain-miles-davis-19691231. Retrieved 25 May 2006.
- ^ "Spanish Jam | Grateful Dead". Dead.net. http://www.dead.net/song/spanish-jam. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
[edit] External links
- Sketches of Spain Legacy Edition at Myspace (streamed copy where licensed)
