#358 - Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain (1960)
MUSIC HISTORY COMPILED BY BEN AUSTIN-DOCAMPO:
From allmusic.com Biography by William Ruhlmann
A monumental innovator, icon, and maverick, trumpeter Miles Davis helped define the course of jazz as well as popular culture in the 20th century, bridging the gap between bebop, modal music, funk, and fusion. Throughout most of his 50-year career, Davis played the trumpet in a lyrical, introspective style, often employing a stemless Harmon mute to make his sound more personal and intimate. It was a style that, along with his brooding stage persona, earned him the nickname "Prince of Darkness." However, Davis proved to be a dazzlingly protean artist, moving into fiery modal jazz in the '60s and electrified funk and fusion in the '70s, drenching his trumpet in wah-wah pedal effects along the way. More than any other figure in jazz, Davis helped establish the direction of the genre with a steady stream of boundary-pushing recordings, among them 1957's chamber jazz album Birth of the Cool (which collected recordings from 1949-1950), 1959's modal masterpiece Kind of Blue, 1960's orchestral album Sketches of Spain, and 1970's landmark fusion recording Bitches Brew. Davis' own playing was obviously at the forefront of those changes, but he also distinguished himself as a bandleader, regularly surrounding himself with sidemen and collaborators who likewise moved in new directions, including the luminaries John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, and many more. While he remains one of the most referenced figures in jazz, a major touchstone for generations of trumpeters (including Wynton Marsalis, Chris Botti, and Nicholas Payton), his music reaches far beyond the jazz tradition, and can be heard in the genre-bending approach of performers across the musical spectrum, ranging from funk and pop to rock, electronica, hip-hop, and more.
Born in 1926, Davis was the son of dental surgeon, Dr. Miles Dewey Davis, Jr., and a music teacher, Cleota Mae (Henry) Davis, he grew up in the Black middle class of East St. Louis after the family moved there shortly after his birth. He became interested in music during his childhood and by the age of 12 began taking trumpet lessons. While still in high school, he got jobs playing in local bars, and at 16 was playing gigs out of town on weekends. At 17, he joined Eddie Randle's Blue Devils, a territory band based in St. Louis. He enjoyed a personal apotheosis in 1944, just after graduating from high school, when he saw and was allowed to sit in with Billy Eckstine's big band, which was playing in St. Louis. The band featured trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and saxophonist Charlie Parker, the architects of the emerging bebop style of jazz, which was characterized by fast, inventive soloing and dynamic rhythm variations.
From Wiki: 1949–1955: Signing with Prestige, heroin addiction, and hard bop
After returning from Paris in mid-1949, he became depressed and found little work, which included a short engagement with jazz pianist Bud Powell in October and guest spots in New York City, Chicago, and Detroit until January 1950.[48] He was falling behind in hotel rent and attempts were made to repossess his car. His heroin use became an expensive addiction, and Davis, yet to reach 24 years old, "lost my sense of discipline, lost my sense of control over my life, and started to drift".[49][38] In August 1950, Irene Cawthon gave birth to Davis's second son, Miles IV (they would have 3 children together). Davis befriended boxer Johnny Bratton and began his interest in the sweet science around the same time. Davis later on left Cawthon and his children in New York City in the hands of a friend, jazz singer Betty Carter.[48] He toured with Eckstine and Billie Holiday and was arrested for heroin possession in Los Angeles. The story was reported in DownBeat magazine, which caused a further reduction in work, though he was acquitted weeks later.[50] By the 1950s, Davis had become a more skilled player and was experimenting with the middle register of the trumpet alongside harmonies and rhythms.[31]
Davis supported his heroin habit by playing music and by living the life of a hustler, exploiting prostitutes, and receiving money from friends. By 1953, his addiction began to impair his playing. His drug habit became public in a DownBeat interview with Cab Calloway, whom he never forgave as it brought him "all pain and suffering".[53] He returned to St. Louis and stayed with his father for several months.[53] After a brief period with Max Roach and Charles Mingus in September 1953,[54] he returned to his father's home, where he concentrated on addressing his addiction.[55]
Davis lived in Detroit for about six months, avoiding New York City, where it was easy to get drugs. Though he used heroin, he was still able to perform locally with Elvin Jones and Tommy Flanagan as part of Billy Mitchell's house band at the Blue Bird club. He was also "pimping a little".[56] However, he was able to end his addiction, and, in February 1954, Davis returned to New York City, feeling good "for the first time in a long time", mentally and physically stronger, and joined a gym.[57]
Random Miles Davis Fact (from Wikipedia): Davis began dating actress Cicely Tyson in the 1960s when he was in the process of divorcing dancer Frances Davis.[47] Davis used a photo of Tyson for his 1967 album, Sorcerer. Davis told the press in 1967 that he intended to marry Tyson in March 1968 after his divorce was finalized,[48] but he married singer Betty Davis that September instead.[49] Tyson and Davis rekindled their relationship in 1978. They were married on November 26, 1981, in a ceremony conducted by Atlanta mayor Andrew Young at the home of actor Bill Cosby. Their marriage was tumultuous due to Davis' volatile temper an infidelity.[50] Davis credited Tyson with saving his life and helping him overcome his cocaine addiction.[50]They split time between Malibu, California, and New York City, until she filed for divorce in 1988.[51] Their divorce was finalized in 1989, two years before Davis died in 1991.[50]
Sketches of Spain From Allmusic.com
Along with Kind of Blue, In a Silent Way, and Round About Midnight, Sketches of Spain is one of Miles Davis' most enduring and innovative achievements. Recorded between November 1959 and March 1960 -- after John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley had left the band -- Davis teamed with Canadian arranger Gil Evans for the third time. Davis brought Evans the album's signature piece, "Concierto de Aranjuez," after hearing a classical version of it at bassist Joe Mondragon's house.
The album has received critical acclaim for its efforts to combine elements of classical, jazz, and Spanish folk music into something new and engaging. However, at the time of its release, “Sketches of Spain,” may have confused audiences, who were unsure which of the three genres the album belonged to. It also won the 1961 Grammy Award in the category for “Best Jazz Composition of More Than Five Minutes Duration.”