Que Viva Espana!

In 1960, Miles Davis, basking in the success of its Kind Of Blue (1959, birth of modal jazz, or at least, consecration), recorded with a host of musicians (among them, Jimmy Cobb, Paul Chambers, Ernie Royal or Dick Hixon), an album dedicated to traditional Spanish music, Sketches Of Spain. With its cover depicting the Spanish flag, Miles playing his trumpet and a fiery bull barreling toward him, Sketches Of Spain is required nothing less than a milestone in the history of jazz. Produced by Teo Macero (Bitches Brew ...) and Irving Townsend, the album features 5 tracks (for approximately 41 minutes) are all unforgettable.

Two of the five pieces are very long (opening and closing of the album). Solea is a wonder 12 minutes composed by Gil Evans, who deftly blends flamenco, jazz and even blues, immersing the listener, whether contemporary Miles or later, in a strange atmosphere beautiful. We rarely find end of the album as beautiful. Concierto De Aranjuez, which opens the album, takes 16 minutes and a few, and is simply THE piece of Sketches Of Spain, a jazz reinterpretation of the famous song composed by Rodrigo. Again, impossible, closing his eyes, and while listening, not feeling in Spain, not to feel the warmth, ambiance. A true musical journey sensitive.

The remaining three pieces (Saeta, composed by Evans, with clarion trumpet Miles; The Pan Piper, also of Evans, and the beautiful Will O 'The Wisp De Falla, who has the difficult task of succeeding in the end face A grandiose Concierto De Aranjuez) are also lectures. Sketches Of Spain is less known than Kind Of Blue, and this is greatly unfortunate because this jazz album with Hispanic accents is just as successful, although of a different kind. A nutshell, it's a disc that you must listen!