LP – Miles Davis – Sketches Of Spain (Ultradisc)

Miles Davis’ Final Collaboration with Arranger Gil Evans Yields Watershed Innovations: Flamenco-ThemedSketches of SpainSpins Graceful Webs of Sound and Emotion

Mobile Fidelity’s UltraDisc One-Step 180g 33RPM LP Set Brings Out the Record’s Full Spectrum of Color: 65th Anniversary Edition Pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing and Strictly Limited to 5,000 Numbered Copies

1/4″ / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 64 to analog console to lathe

Miles Davis and Gil Evans bridged styles and collaborated on high-concept projects three different times during their celebrated careers. For their final act, they createdSketches of Spain, a peak moment in each luminary’s legacy. The transformative album weds Spanish themes, lush orchestrations, romantic timbres, and Davis’ lyrical methods in a tender ceremony that resonates more than six decades after its original release.

Part of Mobile Fidelity’s Miles Davis restoration series, this 1960 landmark has been afforded the ultimate white-gloves treatment for its 65th anniversary. Sourced from the original master tapes, strictly limited to 5,000 numbered copies, and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, this UltraDisc One-Step 33RPM 180g LP set dramatically expands the soundstages and eradicates a dryness that many critics found inhibitive to the record’s enjoyment. You can now hear the full-range responsiveness of the woodwinds, strings, and percussion, all of which come alive with superior definition and detail.

The beautiful presentation of this UD1S set befits the record’s historical importance. Housed in a deluxe slipcase, it features a special foil-stamped jacket and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendor of the 1960 LP. This reissue is made for discerning listeners who desire to fully immerse themselves with the album. And who wouldn’t want to go deep withSketches of Spain?

Whether it is the somber mood piece “Concierto de Aranjuez,” renowned for Davis’ flugelhorn performance, or the folktale-based “Solea,”Sketches of Spaintransfixes with playing, ideas, and innovations exclusive to this incomparable effort. It’s one reason why Mobile Fidelity’s engineers took all available measures to insert listeners into the space originally occupied by Davis, bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Jimmy Cobb, percussionist Elvin Jones, and an 18-piece orchestra. The results are as breathtaking as the music.

Multi-note motifs, brief improvisational solos, fanfare sweeps, and contrapuntal exchanges inform flamenco-spiced pieces. Davis’ famous Harmon-muted trumpet is complemented by an assortment of bassoons and French horns. Heard together, they create pleasing contrasts and sounds (pp, mf, ppp) that get to what resides at the heart ofSketches of Spain: color.

Seldom, if ever, did Davis ever so expressively and liberally paint with color. And in Evans, he has a likewise-minded partner to help draw out tones, shades, layers, and textures. What they achieved continues to draw praise from the global music community in the 21st century.

Ranked #358 onRolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, deemed “a work of unparalleled grace and lyricism” by noted scribe J.D. Considine, bestowed a five-star review fromDownBeat, and noted byQto have taken “jazz in a new direction,” the Grammy Award-winning effort has never been better.

More About Mobile Fidelity UltraDisc One-Step and Why It Is Superior

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) technique bypasses generational losses inherent to the traditional three-step plating process by removing two steps: the production of father and mother plates, which are created to yield numerous stampers from each lacquer that is cut. For UD1S plating, stampers (also called “converts”) are made directly from the lacquers. Since each lacquer yields only one stamper, multiple lacquers need to be cut. Mobile Fidelity’s UD1S process produces a final LP with the lowest-possible noise floor. The removal of two steps of the plating process also reveals musical details and dynamics that would otherwise be lost due to the standard multi-step process. With UD1S, every aspect of vinyl production is optimized to produce the best-sounding vinyl album available today.

Why Isnt This UD1S Pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl?

Sketches of Spainis one of the few Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab UltraDisc One-Step releases since the advent of MoFi SuperVinyl that is pressed on 180g black vinyl rather than MoFi SuperVinyl. Why? Quite simply, it sounds better on 180g black vinyl. After closely auditioningSketches of Spainon several different vinyl profiles a time-consuming and expensive endeavor no other label pursues MoFis expert engineers determined the music on this 1960 album translates with superior definition, clarity, presence, dynamics, and balance on this format. The opening of MoFis sister plant, Fidelity Record Pressing and its peerless ability to press dead-quiet 180g black vinyl means the labels engineers now have more options when it comes to high-quality vinyl. All of which benefits the original artists and their intent, and you, the listener.