Lew Soloff/Steve Richman
Miles Davis/Gil Evans: Sketches of Spain
NYCSA
www.sheffieldlab.com
By George W. Harris

Back when I was a kid, when we had family get togethers, my Uncle George would come over and pontificate about sports and music. One time, when the discussion turned to modern jazz, he declared, “someday, jazz will turn into classical music in the sense that no one will be creating anything interesting, but just recreating a certain canon of material.” Being a fan of fusion at the time, I held my ground, but as time has passed, I have learned the wisdom of my uncle’s observation.

Celebrating the 50th year anniversary of the groundbreaking collaboration between trumpeter Miles Davis and conductor/arranger Gil Evans, Lew Soloff and Steve Richman return to the scene of the original musical crime and reproduce a splendid and newly recorded version of Sketches of Spain. Obviously, the first question should be, “Why do I want this release when the original is still available?” Good question, and the main two answers are 1) this new one has a much clearer and fresher orchestral sound and 2) Soloff has a purer tone than Miles, and doesn’t make the same musical lapses that he did on the original.

Steve Richman does a great job recreating the rich and exotic Iberian sounds, while Soloff’s smooth horn caresses the framework with delicacy. Still only about 40 minutes long, but you’re getting what you ask for. Lovely.