180 Gram Double LP! Romanticism! Majestic Music! Tour de Force!
Porgy & Bess: In 1958, George Gershwins opera Porgy And Bess was very much in vogue. Several jazz artists such as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Collette, and Mundell Lowe had already created their own versions of certain songs. Cal Lampley, George Avakians successor, wanted to take advantage of the fact that a film version of the opera was in production. Gil Evans adaptation of Gershwins score was a veritable tour de force. He chose certain pieces and reorganized the chronology of the original work, adding Gone, a completely original work whose tonal combinations placed it among his masterworks. The fierce violence of the orchestras overture, the funeral lamentations of Gone, Gone, Gone, and the powerful clamors of Prayer seized the audience and released their grip only to overwhelm them with the astonishing romanticism of the trumpeter who, with an actors intuition and a dandys grace, slipped into the skin of the different characters.
"In jazz, only a handful of albums never lose their lustre. Each listening is a magical experience, no matter how familiar the material has become. The second collaboration between Miles Davis and Gil Evans, Porgy and Bess, is one such distinctive recording... Davis trumpet work on Porgy and Bess reflects a man full of confidence who knows he is at the top of his game. Rarely did Davis ever play with such consistency. His up-tempo work is full of swagger, such as his hip, laid-back rendering of 'Summertime' and the marvellous trumpet break at the end of the first chorus of 'The Buzzard Song.' His ballad playing has his trademark warmth and depth of emotion, with Davis performing beautifully on 'Oh Bess, Oh Wheres My Bess' and 'I Loves You, Porgy,' for example... Complementing and heightening the magnificence of Daviss work are the wonderful arrangements from the pen of Gil Evans. Daviss tortured thoughts at the end of 'Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus)' wouldnt mean much if Evans hadnt written out a series of orchestral crescendos against them. On each track there is at least one moment of pure musical bliss as a result of the genius of Evans." - Robert Gilbert, All About Jazz
Sketches of Spain: George Avakian, who was in charge of an ethnic music series at Columbia directed by the ethno-musicologist Alan Lomax, especially wanted Gil Evans to work with flamenco because of his knowledge of Spanish composers. In fact, Miles himself had simultaneously discovered Joaquin Rodrigos Concierto De Aranjuez and flamencothanks to both an anthology brought back from Spain by the actress Beverly Bentley and a concert to which Frances Taylor had taken him. The result was majestic music in which Gil Evans skirted the kitsch of Rodrigos original score and held his own with the help of Miles lofty trumpet. Along with the adagio from Concierto, Gil Evans borrowed Manuel de Fallas Will O The Wisp, and adapted The Pan Piper from a panpipe aria recorded by Lomax in Galicia and Saeta from an eponymous ritual chant sung to the accompaniment of the brass bands escorting the processions in Seville during Holy Week. In this last piece and in Solea, Miles drew on the ardor of flamenco singing while distancing himself from all traces of the folkloric.
"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. Evans was as taken with it as Davis was, and set about to create an entire album of material around it. The result is a masterpiece of modern art. On the 'Concierto,' Evans' arrangement provided an orchestra and jazz band -- Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb, and Elvin Jones -- the opportunity to record a classical work as it was. The piece, with its stunning colors and intricate yet transcendent adagio, played by Davis on a flügelhorn with a Harmon mute, is one of the most memorable works to come from popular culture in the 20th century." - Thom Jurek, allmusic.com
Features:
180g Double Vinyl
Direct Metal Master
Made in the E.U.
Gatefold Jacket
Remastered from the Original Recordings
Musicians:
Miles Davis, trumpet, flugelhorn (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Cannonball Adderley, alto saxophone (Porgy & Bess)
Jimmy Cobb, drums (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Paul Chambers, bass (Sketches of Spain)
Philly Joe Jones, drums (Porgy & Bess)
Dick Hixon, trombone (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Frank Rehak, trombone (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Jimmy Cleveland, trombone (Porgy & Bess)
Joe Bennett, trombone (Porgy & Bess)
Phil Bodner, flute, alto flute, clarinet (Porgy & Bess)
Jerome Richardson, flute, alto flute, clarinet (Porgy & Bess)
Romeo Penque, flute, alto flute, clarinet (Porgy & Bess)
Danny Bank, alto flute, bass flute, bass clarinet (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Albert Block, flute (Sketches of Spain)
Eddie Caine, flute, flugelhorn (Sketches of Spain)
Harold Feldman, flute, clarinet, oboe (Sketches of Spain)
Ernie Royal, trumpet (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Bernie Glow, trumpet (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Johnny Coles, trumpet (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Louis Mucci, trumpet (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Taft Jordan, trumpet (Sketches of Spain)
Jack Knitzer, bassoon (Sketches of Spain)
Jose Mangual, percussion (Sketches of Spain)
Elvin Jones, percussion (Sketches of Spain)
John Barrows, French horn (Sketches of Spain)
Joe Singer, French horn (Sketches of Spain)
Tony Miranda, French horn (Sketches of Spain)
Earl Chapin, French horn (Sketches of Spain)
James Buffington, French horn (Sketches of Spain)
Willi Ruff, horn (Porgy & Bess)
Julius Watkins, horn (Porgy & Bess)
Gunther Schuller, horn (Porgy & Bess)
Romeo Penque, oboe (Sketches of Spain)
Janet Putnam, harp (Sketches of Spain)
Bill Barber, tuba (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Jim McAllister, tuba (Sketches of Spain)
Selections:
Sketches Of Spain
LP1 - Side A:
1. Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio)
2. Will O' The Wisp
LP1 - Side B:
1. The Pan Piper
2. Saeta
3. Solea
Porgy And Bess
LP2 - Side C:
1. The Buzzard Song
2. Bess, You Is My Woman Now
3. Gone
4. Gone, Gone, Gone
5. Summertime
6. Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess
LP2 - Side D:
1. Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus)
2. Fisherman, Strawberry and Devil Crab
3. My Man's Gone Now
4. It Ain't Necessarily So
5. Here Come De Honey Man
6. I Loves You, Porgy
7. There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York
Porgy & Bess: In 1958, George Gershwins opera Porgy And Bess was very much in vogue. Several jazz artists such as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Collette, and Mundell Lowe had already created their own versions of certain songs. Cal Lampley, George Avakians successor, wanted to take advantage of the fact that a film version of the opera was in production. Gil Evans adaptation of Gershwins score was a veritable tour de force. He chose certain pieces and reorganized the chronology of the original work, adding Gone, a completely original work whose tonal combinations placed it among his masterworks. The fierce violence of the orchestras overture, the funeral lamentations of Gone, Gone, Gone, and the powerful clamors of Prayer seized the audience and released their grip only to overwhelm them with the astonishing romanticism of the trumpeter who, with an actors intuition and a dandys grace, slipped into the skin of the different characters.
"In jazz, only a handful of albums never lose their lustre. Each listening is a magical experience, no matter how familiar the material has become. The second collaboration between Miles Davis and Gil Evans, Porgy and Bess, is one such distinctive recording... Davis trumpet work on Porgy and Bess reflects a man full of confidence who knows he is at the top of his game. Rarely did Davis ever play with such consistency. His up-tempo work is full of swagger, such as his hip, laid-back rendering of 'Summertime' and the marvellous trumpet break at the end of the first chorus of 'The Buzzard Song.' His ballad playing has his trademark warmth and depth of emotion, with Davis performing beautifully on 'Oh Bess, Oh Wheres My Bess' and 'I Loves You, Porgy,' for example... Complementing and heightening the magnificence of Daviss work are the wonderful arrangements from the pen of Gil Evans. Daviss tortured thoughts at the end of 'Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus)' wouldnt mean much if Evans hadnt written out a series of orchestral crescendos against them. On each track there is at least one moment of pure musical bliss as a result of the genius of Evans." - Robert Gilbert, All About Jazz
Sketches of Spain: George Avakian, who was in charge of an ethnic music series at Columbia directed by the ethno-musicologist Alan Lomax, especially wanted Gil Evans to work with flamenco because of his knowledge of Spanish composers. In fact, Miles himself had simultaneously discovered Joaquin Rodrigos Concierto De Aranjuez and flamencothanks to both an anthology brought back from Spain by the actress Beverly Bentley and a concert to which Frances Taylor had taken him. The result was majestic music in which Gil Evans skirted the kitsch of Rodrigos original score and held his own with the help of Miles lofty trumpet. Along with the adagio from Concierto, Gil Evans borrowed Manuel de Fallas Will O The Wisp, and adapted The Pan Piper from a panpipe aria recorded by Lomax in Galicia and Saeta from an eponymous ritual chant sung to the accompaniment of the brass bands escorting the processions in Seville during Holy Week. In this last piece and in Solea, Miles drew on the ardor of flamenco singing while distancing himself from all traces of the folkloric.
"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. Evans was as taken with it as Davis was, and set about to create an entire album of material around it. The result is a masterpiece of modern art. On the 'Concierto,' Evans' arrangement provided an orchestra and jazz band -- Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb, and Elvin Jones -- the opportunity to record a classical work as it was. The piece, with its stunning colors and intricate yet transcendent adagio, played by Davis on a flügelhorn with a Harmon mute, is one of the most memorable works to come from popular culture in the 20th century." - Thom Jurek, allmusic.com
Features:
180g Double Vinyl
Direct Metal Master
Made in the E.U.
Gatefold Jacket
Remastered from the Original Recordings
Musicians:
Miles Davis, trumpet, flugelhorn (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Cannonball Adderley, alto saxophone (Porgy & Bess)
Jimmy Cobb, drums (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Paul Chambers, bass (Sketches of Spain)
Philly Joe Jones, drums (Porgy & Bess)
Dick Hixon, trombone (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Frank Rehak, trombone (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Jimmy Cleveland, trombone (Porgy & Bess)
Joe Bennett, trombone (Porgy & Bess)
Phil Bodner, flute, alto flute, clarinet (Porgy & Bess)
Jerome Richardson, flute, alto flute, clarinet (Porgy & Bess)
Romeo Penque, flute, alto flute, clarinet (Porgy & Bess)
Danny Bank, alto flute, bass flute, bass clarinet (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Albert Block, flute (Sketches of Spain)
Eddie Caine, flute, flugelhorn (Sketches of Spain)
Harold Feldman, flute, clarinet, oboe (Sketches of Spain)
Ernie Royal, trumpet (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Bernie Glow, trumpet (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Johnny Coles, trumpet (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Louis Mucci, trumpet (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Taft Jordan, trumpet (Sketches of Spain)
Jack Knitzer, bassoon (Sketches of Spain)
Jose Mangual, percussion (Sketches of Spain)
Elvin Jones, percussion (Sketches of Spain)
John Barrows, French horn (Sketches of Spain)
Joe Singer, French horn (Sketches of Spain)
Tony Miranda, French horn (Sketches of Spain)
Earl Chapin, French horn (Sketches of Spain)
James Buffington, French horn (Sketches of Spain)
Willi Ruff, horn (Porgy & Bess)
Julius Watkins, horn (Porgy & Bess)
Gunther Schuller, horn (Porgy & Bess)
Romeo Penque, oboe (Sketches of Spain)
Janet Putnam, harp (Sketches of Spain)
Bill Barber, tuba (Porgy & Bess) (Sketches of Spain)
Jim McAllister, tuba (Sketches of Spain)
Selections:
Sketches Of Spain
LP1 - Side A:
1. Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio)
2. Will O' The Wisp
LP1 - Side B:
1. The Pan Piper
2. Saeta
3. Solea
Porgy And Bess
LP2 - Side C:
1. The Buzzard Song
2. Bess, You Is My Woman Now
3. Gone
4. Gone, Gone, Gone
5. Summertime
6. Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess
LP2 - Side D:
1. Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus)
2. Fisherman, Strawberry and Devil Crab
3. My Man's Gone Now
4. It Ain't Necessarily So
5. Here Come De Honey Man
6. I Loves You, Porgy
7. There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York
