On May 26th, Miles Davis would have turned one hundred. JAZZMI celebrates the milestone by hosting a contemporary reinterpretation of Sketches of Spain, the 1960 album widely considered one of the defining summits in the discography of the Illinois-born jazz trumpet titan (co-created with Canadian pianist and arranger Gil Evans, who handled the orchestral arrangements). This album followed two other revolutionary masterpieces: Birth of the Cool and Kind of Blue.

This new take, presented in the show Flamenco Sketches of Spain on November 5th at the Triennale Theater in Milan, is made possible through the collaboration between Israel Galván—a Seville-born dancer and choreographer famous in his homeland for his avant-garde approach to flamenco tradition—and American trumpeter Michael Leonhart. Leonhart is responsible for rearranging and re-orchestrating this accessible, airy album that draws explicit inspiration from Spanish folk traditions. It is performed live by a stellar ensemble featuring, alongside the former Steely Dan member, Addison Frei on piano, Daniel Freedman on percussion, Yair Evnine and Mattia Boschi on cello, Carlo Nicita on flute, and Gilberto Tarocco on clarinet. While the full orchestra used by Davis and Evans is absent, the musical outcome of this reinterpretation is truly remarkable.

In this show—an exclusive production by Ponderosa that has also toured internationally—the raw physical energy of flamenco and the language of the jazz icon intertwine. More than that, they become one single entity, where sound and movement exist in perfect harmony.

The performance will take place at the Triennale Theater. Fittingly, it was at the Triennale that Miles Davis gave his very first Italian concert back in 1964, alongside giants like Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock.

Photo credit: Rita Antonioli