SKETCHES OF SPAIN

For their third collaboration, Miles Davis and Gil Evans teamed up to tackle the whole Third Stream business - then a big wave in jazz, much like jazz-rock fusion would become a big wave at the other end of the 1960s - and knock it out of the park. The inclusion of flamenco and saeta accents here and there ensures that the album keeps a little spice and voids descending into syrupy 1950s Hollywood-classical, and in addition a suitable amount of effort is made to ensure that the orchestra swings just as much as the jazz players do. The sound of the album will surprise listeners more used to Miles' modal jazz and post-bop offerings from around this period, but precisely because it stands out so much it becomes a real gem in Miles' extensive discography.