Sketches of Spain is a famous and popular album by jazz legend Miles Davis, released in 1960 through Columbia Records. It won a Grammy Award in 1961 for "Best Original Jazz Composition" and is one of the most famous and highly regarded "third stream" (i.e., fusions between jazz and classical music) albums ever recorded, along with Charles Mingus' The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady and Let My Children Hear Music.
Tracklist
Side One
- "Concierto de Aranjuez (Adagio)" (16:19)
- "Will o' the Wisp" (3:47)
Side Two
- "The Pan Piper" (3:52)
- "Saeta" (5:06)
- "Solea" (12:15)
Personnel
- Miles Davis: trumpet, flugelhorn
- Johnny Coles, Bernie Glow, Taft Jordan, Louis Mucci, Ernie Royal: trumpet
- Dick Hixon, Frank Rehak: trombone
- Harold Feldman: clarinet, flute, oboe
- Danny Bank: bass clarinet
- Jack Knitzer: bassoon
- Bill Barber, Jimmy McAllister: tuba
- John Barrows, James Buffington, Earl Chapin, Tony Miranda, Joe Singer: French horn
- Albert Block: flute
- Eddie Caine: flute, flugelhorn
- Paul Chambers: bass
- Romeo Penque: oboe
- Janet Putnam: harp
- Jimmy Cobb: drums
- Elvin Jones, Jose Mangual: percussion
- Gil Evans: arranger, conductor
Tropes of Spain:
- Alliterative Title: "Sketches of Spain", "Will o' the Wisp", "The Pan Piper".
- Bilingual Bonus: "Saeta" and "Solea" are Spanish concepts.
- Concept Album: All the tracks have a Spanish atmosphere. The album cover is done against the background of the national flag and works by Spanish composers such as Joaquin Rodrigo and Manuel de Falla are covered. Though, according to Bill Evans the intention was never to make a "Spanish" album. The band had planned to record their version of Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez", but as they were studying the piece they list to a lot of Spanish folk music and decided to make this the focus of the entire album.
- Continuity Nod: The Spanish atmosphere of "Flamenco Sketches" on Kind of Blue is a predecessor of "Sketches Of Spain".
- Cover Album: The centre piece of the album is Concierto de Aranjuez, a classical music composition by Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo. It almost takes up half of the record. "Will o' the Wisp" is also a classical composition, lifted from Manuel de Falla's "El Amor Brujo". "The Pan Piper" (aka "Alborada de Vigo") is a traditional Spanish song. Only "Saeta" and "Solea" are original compositions.
- Epic Rocking: "Saeta", at over five minutes, "Solea", at over twelve, and "Concierto de Aranjuez", at over sixteen.
- Grief Song: "Concierto de Aranjuéz" is absolutely tear jerking and not by chance; Joaquín Rodrigo, the composer, wrote the song in response to a miscarriage he and his wife had suffered.
- "Saeta" was based on the traditional Holy Week processional of the same name, where a marching band arrives in town, announcing Christ's death. When they reach the town's center a woman appears in a window, representing the Virgin Mary, and sings her lament.
- Instrumentals: It's an entirely instrumental album.
- One-Word Title: "Saeta" and "Solea".
- Shout-Out:
- Buckethead named one of the songs on the "Electric Tears" (2002) album "Sketches of Spain (For Miles)".
- The melody of "White Rabbit" from Surrealistic Pillow by Jefferson Airplane was inspired by listening to the boleros on this album.
- "Solea" can be heard in Pedro Almodóvar's High Heels (Tacones lejanos) and "Saeta" in The Flower Of My Secret (La flor de mi secreto)
- Mad Men: Episode 1.8, "The Hobo Code," features Midge (Don's mistress) and her friends listening to the album.
- The screamo band Saetia named themselves after the penultimate song on this album (with one letter added).
- Tears for Fears recorded a track called "Sketches of Pain" on their album Raoul and the Kings of Spain.
- King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard collaborated with Mild High Club on an whole album (somewhat) inspired by this one, titled Sketches of Brunswick East, Brunswick East being a suburb of their native city of Melbourne, Australia.
- Stop and Go: "Saeta" sounds like a procession with the trumpets and drums marching along, then pauzing while a trumpet solo is played. After its concluded the trumpets and drums begin playing their marching melody again and the procession continues.
- Will-o'-the-Wisp: A track has this title.
