Miles continually improved over the years, both as a trumpet player and an improviser. His sound became large, fat, and expressive. His range expanded enormously and he utilized it more of the time for variety and impact. His control of the horn developed to the point that in Saeta (Sketches of Spain) Miles exhibits his ability to slide evenly from one pitch to another without a mechanical break in sound, to color the qualities of individual notes of the phrase in very expressive ways, to have sustained notes sail upward (doit) or downward(fall-off) at the very end, and to create a sort of sobbing sound that alludes to the Spanish singer on the balcony above a solemn, religious parade, singing of the agonies of the Crucifixion. [Saeta is an unaccompanied Andalusian song of lamentation or penitence sung during the religious procession of Good Friday. This spontaneous outburst of religious feeling probably had its roots in the recitation of psalms under the influence of liturgical music.]
