Dave Liebman describes
Sketches of Spain as his longtime favorite piece of music, a captivating work conceived by composer/arranger
Gil Evans for trumpeter
Miles Davis, which became one of their landmark recordings together. When
Liebman learned that
Evans' score to this extended work was available, he jumped at the chance to perform it with an orchestra, with his soprano sax substituting for
Davis' horn. This concert featuring
Liebman with
the Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra was not recorded with the intention of making a CD, but when it was played back, all parties agreed that it was a major event.
Liebman's striking solos within the extended movement from
Joaquín Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez" are easily the high point. His anguished soprano punctuates
Evans' "Saeta," with a drum cadence behind him suggesting a prisoner about to face a firing squad or a troubled soldier about to face death on the battlefield. He switches to tenor sax for the finale,
Evans' stark, lonely "Solea." The audio is superb throughout this moving concert and jazz fans who own the expanded Legacy Edition of
Davis'
Sketches of Spain owe it to themselves to compare the trumpeter's live recording to
Liebman's equally brilliant effort. ~ Ken Dryden