Scratches of Spain is an album by the English experimental jazz guitarist and bandleader Billy Jenkins, featuring the Voice of God Collective. It was released on the Babel Records label in 1987.[ Scratches of Spain] accessed 30 May 2010
As with many of Jenkins' records, Scratches of Spain showcases Jenkins' "spaß jazz" approachAll About Jazz review of Scratches of Spain download reissue by Roger Farbey, 9 June 2017 which combines serious musicianship with conceptual irreverence, musical jokes and détournement. This is reflected in the album title (which refers to the classic Miles Davis album Sketches of Spain, with the cover art also being a parody of the Sketches of Spain artwork), the piece titles (which refer to down-to-earth, mass culture or tourism-related topics rather than the grander romantic conceptions featured on Sketches of Spain) and in the musician credits (which make jokey reference to the stylistic and technical approaches used by each player).
Track listing All compositions by Billy Jenkins.
"Monkey Men" – 6:15 "Cuttlefish" – 6:09 "Barcelona" – 7:57 "Benidorm Motorway Services" – 4:00 "Bilbao/St. Columbus Day" – 4:51 "Cooking Oil" – 5:12 "McDonalds" – 4:41
Personnel Billy Jenkins - "spaß" guitar, violin Chris Batchelor - "straight" trumpet John Eacott - "trad" trumpet Skid Solo - "spaß" trumpet Iain Ballamy - "bigtime" saxophones Steve Buckley - "straight" saxophones Dai Pritchard - "spaß" saxophones, clarinets David Jago - "grown-up" trombone Ashley Slater - "juvenile" bass trombone, tuba, vocals Davo Cooke - "heavy metal" guitar Django Bates - "doodle" keyboards Jimmy Haycraft - "golden" vibraphone Jo Westcott - "proper" cello Tim Matthewman - "fat" electric bass guitar Simon Edwards - "skinny" acoustic bass guitar Dawson - "experienced" hand drums, percussion, Steve Argüelles - "stuntman" hand drums, "midget" drumkit Roy Dodds - excited percussion, "spaßtic" drumkit
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