A piece for classical guitar and orchestra in its original form, Miles Davis and Gil Evans collaborated to turn "Concierto de Aranjuez" into a jazz masterpiece. First off, Evans does a brilliant job with the arrangement, perfectly capturing the subtlety of Miles' style, which is made apparent by the sparse percussion (or lack thereof) throughout most of the piece. In addition to this, there are many call-and-response elements between the other instrumental sections, not only with Miles, but with one another as well. But what really puts this arrangement over the top is Miles' performance. His mastery over dynamics might be at its most apparent here, as his volume may go grow louder or quieter, but his intensity only increases. Even when switching from flugelhorn to trumpet, he is careful not to lose the energy that he has established, which is quite a feat considering the limitations of recording technology at the time. As far as this collaboration goes, there couldn't have been a much better partnership than Davis and Evans. And hey, if you like this album, you might also enjoy the other three that they worked on together.
Got any favorite collaborations?
