I'm still on my musical journey listening through all his essentials, but he is easily my favorite jazz artist of all time. hope this album unlocks you checking out his others because his discography is goated
Miles is the best artist of all time. This is a 10/10 record, very excited. This was on my longlist for future picks too
Did my first listen yesterday. Way different from what I was expecting. It plays more like a film score and feels like I’m listening to a story play out. I loved it.
Yeah, I remember my first listen being like that. Only Miles I used to listen to was his fusion era and the occasional spin of Birth Of The Cool or Kind of Blue, so was surprised by this.
Enjoyed my first listen. Definitely different from the Miles records I've heard a lot, but his playing is undeniable. Pretty interesting to read about how much Joaquin Rodrigo and his family hated this arrangement of "Concerto de Aranjuez" initially. I know pretty much nothing about Spanish classical guitar music, so I definitely want to check out the original soon too.
Been playing this over the past two days. Really like it, but not my favorite Miles. In a Silent Way is definitely #1 for me, and I've come to love Get Up With It over the past few months. Opener on this is pretty obviously the highlight for me, but I love how Saeta builds
It's hard to even know what to say about such a masterpiece, probably partly because I don't have the vocabulary to talk about classical as much. What I will say is after my listen this morning the main theme of the "Concerte de Aranjuez" will be in my head for 2 days. Idunno, this record just represents so much about what's unique and genius about Miles. This record is an achievement in composition, performance, improvisation, broadly-defined "fusion" (ie 'Third Stream' and Latin Jazz), and especially vision and daring. The composition comes from Gil, himself an unqualified genius, with whom Miles had already made Miles Ahead and Porgy and Bess, which themselves weave in a lot of these aspects but no Spanish influence. It takes a lot of chutzpah to just decide you're going to make this record based on a year or so of semi-immersion in Spanish music, and it takes even more genius for it to come out like this. Also I just love Miles on flugelhorn. I also like that this is the only Miles record of its kind. Generally you can bunch Miles records into categories - pre-solo, early prestige era, first great quintet, KoB/Modal era, second great quintet, electric, post-hiatus - but the Gil collabs defy this. You can lump them in as the Gil/Third Stream records, but they sound so much more different to each other than any of the other categories I listed. The closest thing philosophically and sonically I can think of to this record is the flamenco portions of Black Saint & The Sinner Lady, another absolute masterpiece 10/10 all timer record that, genius as Mingus was on his own terms, probably owes a hell of a lot to this record. I pasted a contemporaneous review of the record from Downbeat Mag that was republished in the Miles Davis Reader. One of the best points in it imo is the idea that this is a true synthesis of composition and improv, something that the big bands of the 30s were always reaching for, but really only Ellington ever achieved. Mostly those bands were all playing a composed section together, and then the rhythm section would comp under a few solos, and then they'd go back and play the head (composed portion) one more time and the song's over. It was composition followed by improv, not composition synthesized with improv. This record - and later Black Saint - achieve that synthesis pretty much completely. The middle of the opener, most of Saeta and Solea, and most other times when Miles is soloing is improv. But the orchestra is playing from charts the whole time. I think that synthesis is one of the highest achievements in jazz and music overall, honestly. Third Stream didn't die completely after these two records but they are the big two and frankly VERY few records trying to do the same thing interest me at all. The only 21st century record I can think of that succeeds at all in this synthesis is the Floating Points & Pharoah Sanders record from 2021. Otherwise, most of the influence of these records has been in the Chamber Jazz form, which does integrate strings and other orchestral elements but isn't aiming for real 'fusion,' just influence. It says something that it's Miles, Mingus, and Pharoah that have done it - 3 of the geniuses of the genre. That's what it takes to do something like this, not just vision but genius.
This is such a beautiful album. It’s clicking now more than my previous listens. Enchanting is a great descriptor for it. My wife made a comment how she never would’ve thought this was Miles. It does feel like a total outlier but I love that about it—there’s a Miles album for every mood!
My buddies and I were talking about Sketches of Spain just last week! I haven't listened to it in a minute but very excited to throw it on
I’m on the last stretch of Solea now. I love how it feels like the whole record builds towards it in a cinematic way. I can almost imagine a film playing out to it. Those last three minutes really just hit the spot for me.
this is pretty much how I felt, definitely felt like a film score. very cool record but I don’t think it’s one I’d reach for when listening to him.
Listened to it yesterday, somehow much better than I remembered. It was a lot more jazzier than I remembered too, seemed to remember it being more classical. Has classical elements, but still a properly good jazz record. I would go into it further, but I can't talk about the specifics of jazz because I don't know what i'm talking about haha. All I know is it sounds fucking great. Also forgot which song had been sampled and it was Will O' the Wisp. It was sampled by DJ Premier for the intro to Wrath of the Math by Jeru The Damaja.
Listened today while in a training. What a cinematic record. Truly felt like I was watching a movie. Last song was my favorite, felt like it took every idea and put it into one song.
Yeah I listened a couple times while reading last night. A little more sparse than I expected, but I dig it. And perfect to read to
Yeah, I really loved this. Imaginary film score is a great descriptor but also not in a way that felt... distracting? Like it was just as satisfying to listen to while working. Helped soothe my anxiety, too. Excited to revisit this one.