This album was a big presence in my childhood, but not in my parent's house. This is the one Miles album that they didn't like. On the other hand, the Preppy-set and architects adored Miles Davis' "Sketches of Spain." The album feels like a mid-century home. Hi-fi world loves "Sketches of Spain." For a Jazzier, the idea of the string section with Jazz is a no-no. Which in theory is totally correct. Then there is this album, which is not really a jazz or classical album Maybe it's the combination of the two "Classjazz."
The album is arranged and conducted by Gil Evans, and this is very much his album as well as Miles'. The music is based on the Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez." I never heard the original so I can't comment on it, except that it's a score for guitar and orchestra. Miles, of course, removed the guitar for his trumpet. Beyond that, it is a magnificent Gil Evans album. In truth, both of them collaborated on the album. Hand-in-hand they made this album. Two sessions: first on November 20, 1959, and the other on March 10, 1960. I wasn't kidding that this is an album made for and by the influence of mid-century design.
The modernist approach is someone who keeps the eye on the present and stays alive for the future. The past is the past unless you can somehow control the imagery and power of the former. Like the music of the late 1950s, "Sketches of Spain" has traces of exotica. To my ears, it's not far off from Martin Denny's take on exotic islands. Spain is a romantic image, especially for those who never visited that country. "Sketches of Spain" by its very title admits that it is a work that doesn't go into Spain, but the observation of an outsider looking within a culture.
Miles doing "Porgy and Bess" with Gil Evans was another trip through a different landscape. Most of the Miles' recordings are all placed in a location that is totally Milesville. I think Paris, Manhattan, San Francisco as not as a foreign destination, but a home to Miles and his aesthetic. "Sketches of Spain" is a tourist visiting with a map in place, but then through the eyes of Miles/Evans, it becomes an adventure of sorts.
The music is gorgeous and the arrangements strike me as perfection. It's an album that is easy on the ears and the heart. What is important to know is that once this music is done, Miles is going to travel without a map. And that is what he did.
