Jul 6, 2025 at 2:17 PM

320. Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain (1960) [June 30th, 2025]

Sketches of Spain rook me a while to get into. h---, I didn't even check it out when I did my big Miles binge back in March/April. But honestly, I REALLY liked it this time around.

Now, I have to acknowledge my bias. As someone who has been exposed to lots of Spanish/Latin music over his entire life, having a jazz record that is so deeply influenced by such a musically unique country. "Concierto de Aranjuez" is a spectacular intro, and it might be my favorite Miles track ever. It just sounds so different to everything he did before, and after this, and it's great. The whole record feels like something you would hear in the background of one of those classic Spaghetti Western movies.

I've previously acknowledged that I'm not the best at exactly describing what I love about instrumental records, which makes discussing jazz especially difficult. But still, Sketches of Spain is really fun, and I really enjoyed it.

 

Jul 6, 2025 at 2:24 PM

321. Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool (1957) [July 5th, 2025]

A compilation of Miles' early work? Count me in.

In yet another installment of "Yeez only listens to music from GTA IV", "Move" is a great track. It's fun, smooth, and (as expected) jazzy. As a compilation, Birth of the Cool is very strange to discuss though. There are countless musicians present on this record, and they do great. I checked this record out while reading Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow (specifically, the chapter where Slothrop dives into a toilet full of s--- inside a jazz club), so this record definitely added to the craziness. "Darn that Dream" is a bit unique too, as it's the first Miles track I've heard that actually has vocals. And it's pretty good.

Even if it isn't a proper album, Birth of the Cool was still a d--- good time man.

 

Jul 6, 2025 at 5:52 PM

322. Sly & The Family Stone - There's A Riot Goin' On (1971) [July 5th, 2025]

This might be a bit odd from someone who basically listens to music constantly, but I was never too familiar with Sly & The Family Stone. Aside from the BIG hits, I was never too familiar with the band's work. So when Sly Stone passed away a few weeks ago, I decided that it was time to finally check out one of the band's records.

Back when I checked out Prince's 1999, THIS is what I expected out of a funk record. Seriously, the funk instrumentals are so danceable, which makes the fact that I listened to this on an airplane very tragic. "Luv 'N Hait" is a great intro, "Poet" is like amazing, and "(You Caught Me) Smiling)" is just like, such a good time man. The band managed to reintegrate one of their biggest hits into the outro track "Thank You For Talking to Me Africa", which is a great closer.

This record honestly felt very dark, which I guess is to be expected based on the title. I think this record will take me a few relistens to fully appreciate, but I still enjoyed it a lot.