Miles Davis – Bitches Brew (1970)

Historically and musically, this is a very important album in the long life of Jazz music. Miles Davis, already a legend at this point as one of the best (if not, best) Jazz musicians in the history of the planet decided he wanted some completely different and unique to approach this album, apparently inspired by the legendary Jimi Hendrix performance at Woodstock in 1969. He enlisted legendary guitarist John McLaughlin and a host of others to create this unique work, with a very psychedelic album cover and out there album title. This was released to instant acclaim and strong sales, with many stating it sounded futuristic. Let’s take a listen and hear if it still sounds good today.

We begin with the 20 minute piece Pharaoh’s Dance which begins with muted percussion and a whole array of subtle instrumentation that sounds excellent. It is like the Jazz version of King Crimson here, but sounding unlike anything else here. The brooding horn lines sound really different. It has some brief pauses and a dark feeling to it, with excellent double bass playing and some great subtle feel about it, reminiscent of the previous Miles Davis album In A Silent Way. It is a really cool listen, and requires shades to hear. Miles Davis’s lone trumpet enters, along with bongos. A very captivating and interesting listening experience, this is really cool. The whole thing sounds brilliant, and very different and exciting. Horn parts are minimal and excellent here, just sounding very trippy. There is a hint of discordant nature about it here. This is really brilliant sounding, just an awesome and fresh listen, it may sound messy with a lot of instrumentation and different parts here, but it’s really not. Some of the clarinet here has some different and unique treatment on it, which is totally out there. After around a third of the way through, the instrumentation gets more defined and furious sounding here. This is an amazing and exciting piece of music that, no matter played in the background of a home or through headphones, is excellent. The whole thing goes quiet and subtle, with pronounced double bass playing. It then changes dramatically along the way, towards the middle with pronounced and treated trumpet. Miles Davis certainly had imagination here, he obviously was brilliant and musically intelligent. Around the middle, things get louder and more intense, as the band return back to a more normal volume and this rather psychedelic jam continues. To be honest, this is quite like a lengthy piece of psychedelic Jazz jam that surprises one. A great mesh of cleverly constructed parts continues throughout the second half of this piece which sounds very intensely and decently layered. The guitars here build up to a more prominent level, and this piece becomes very avant-garde. Some unique and different sounds emerge here, with a great groove to it. This music, does indeed as many have said, sound futuristic. A quirky and different sounding piece, this is extraordinary listening. It goes super quiet in the second half, with a single double bass note continuing this piece, whilst the rest of the band play catch up. Really excellent way to spend your time listening to Jazz music with a twist, this is heavily underrated. The rush of instrumentation of trumpet and horns return, and this piece gets more chaotic towards the end. This is obviously improvised (for the most part) as well, indicating a great sense of musicality here. Towards the end, it gets quite loud and chaotic, before finishing up with some groovy organ. Miles’s trumpet here is really atonal, but good nonetheless. This piece finishes off a nice lengthy constructed jam with various musical touches that sound brilliant, before quickly fading out. Brilliant.

Next along is the title track Bitches Brew which is 27 minutes long. It begins with some rather unusual double bass playing and guitar, before going into a strange set of music. It sounds a little weird, but different and good. There is some delayed trumpet here, along with some other strange crashing and pounding sounds from all the instruments here. It is different, all right. Some thunderous drum rolls persist throughout, and the whole piece is a great sort of Jazz fusion here. It sounds quite hypnotic, too, and very suspenseful. Before long, double bass playing, finger clicks and some clarinet playing take over in a subtle way. This piece then gets going and sounds brilliant. A very excellent and wonderful sounding piece of music, this progresses along nicely to a very clever sounding improvised jam section. A wonderful listening experience, but an odd one for sure. It has a lot of dynamic shifts musically in it. This piece does get quite loud at times, with brilliant trumpet, organ keyboard, double bass, rolling drumbeats and some nice guitar licks here. Overall, brilliant music but very unsettling. It quickly fades out most of the instruments to some intricate double bass playing and whispered vocals, before launching straight back into the mayhem here. Great sounds are here, and this whole piece sounds really different. Some rather strange guitar parts play along, before Miles Davis gets his trumpet on. A strange and psychedelic mix of Jazzy sounds, this is exciting listening. Some double tracked drums are here, pointing to a brilliant mix of music and musicality. A really fantastic and chaotic listen, the trumpet part towards the middle is fantastic. It gets very loud, with a nod to many contemporary acts of the time, such as Pink Floyd, King Crimson and similar Rock acts who wanted to create something excellent, yet different. Some squealing saxophone is here, too. This is nothing like anything else out there, and just sounds effortlessly good. A great psychedelic trip set to Jazz structures, this just sounds really top notch and brilliant. In the middle are flowing keyboard parts and rolling drums that are energetic, and everywhere. The playing by every single member of the group is fantastic. It then goes back to the sounds of the start of the track, with an ear for suspense and progression that is definitely odd. A sustained single note on the double bass drives things along nicely, before further delayed trumpet parts enter. Effortless and brilliant, this sounds unsettling and different. This music here is indescribably good, suspenseful and out there. Before long, it goes into some bongo beats, double bass playing and subtle guitars that are intertwined wonderfully. The playing here is a jam showdown between guitar, double bass, clarinet and some percussion here. A really fine listen, it keeps one interesting throughout the very long piece of music here. In the second half, the mesh of louder instrumentation returns to a louder level of sound and sounds really great here. It sounds really fresh and different. The pace lets up a little after some time, with some trumpet playing that sounds great. It is a brilliant effort of meshed up improvised playing and dynamics here. It goes into a sort of James Bond style double bass riff, with each band member playing along nicely with it. Really cool, it just sounds really brilliantly good. Enough to satisfy one’s musical curiousity, this is a fine listen. It goes a little quieter towards the end, before the single double bass note repeats itself, the keyboard gets going and the delayed trumpet returns. A triumphant and awesome sounding piece, this is something quirky for when the mood strikes. Towards the end, everything becomes a strange mesh of playing and concludes with some crashing improvisation, with some interesting guitar sounds to conclude. Awesome.

Spanish Key begins side two of this album. It has a groovy drum intro, before double bass parts enter, along with some funky guitar and clarinet. This may be Miles Davis’s answer to his earlier album Sketches In Spain, being a gloriously wonderful listen as well. It sounds more minimal and groove based compared to side one, although this is 17 minutes long, quite lengthy still. The amazing sounds here will blow your mind, and take you to a higher consciousness. The trumpet playing here is very, very good, illuminating the musical landscape here. Some intricate drum fills are here, which become louder and more energetic throughout this piece of music. Looks like Sgt. Pepper has met his match here, a brilliant and uplifting piece of Jazz fusion. Some funky Fender Stratocaster styled fills are here as well, making this piece sound extraordinary. The music here sounds totally different and professional, and largely improvised, too. The keyboard becomes prominent in the right channel after some time, along with some excellent guitar playing. A really cool and different sounding piece of music. After a while, some beautiful saxophone enters which makes some unusual playing and sounds here. Really cool and quirky, this does sound unique and extraordinary. The sensational playing continues here, being very freeform and brilliant sounding. Gradually, the instrumentation here returns nicely to match this track. It’s no surprise to see that this is a largely regarded and highly influential work, it is fantastic. We hear some great and effortless sounds here, which are really amazing and extraordinary. Around halfway through, this becomes more rhythmic and groovy here, just sounding totally awesome. The percussion and melodies perfectly match each other in this freeform Jazz environment, with loads of loud bongos, freeform and expert playing here and a sense of excellence. Really cool and clever, this is an exciting listen. A repeated trumpet refrain then enters, along with some sounds borderline on feedback. This is an amazing listen throughout, and sounds really great. A repeated trumpet melody in the second half moves this along nicely, before going into a Pink Floydian styled build up throughout. The rest of the band go quiet for the keyboard organ, shredding guitar playing and muted trumpet here. This piece then gets busier and more interesting as it progresses, with absolutely everyone here putting in 100%. Really fine sounding music here, be it listened to intensely or in the background of one’s home. Some clarinet does its thing, as the rest of the band follows up nicely. Some excellent saxophone is here towards the end, and everyone sounds very expressive here, with a repeated drum loop in the left channel. Right at the end, it gets very sparse briefly, before concluding with some great guitar playing and other subtle sounds, before finishing with a bongo roll. Excellent stuff.

John McLaughlin is the name of this piece, and the guitarist on this album. It begins with some drumrolls, trippy keyboard, decent double bass playing and some brilliant electric guitar playing by John McLaughlin himself. This one is the shortest piece on the album, being just over four minutes long. It does sound really excellent here though, being fresh and creative sounding. This is a forward thinking and great sounding piece that sounds cool. There are some really excellent Fender Stratocaster style fills here, along with the other supporting instrumentation here. A really timeless and energetic effort, the clarinet throughout is also very prominent. This is, by this point, a masterpiece of an album. The electric guitar parts in particular sound really fine and excellent. A good and listenable piece of intricate beauty, if you want a sample from this album as a test run, this is your best bet. Great stuff.

Next is the obvious homage to Jimi Hendrix, Miles Runs The Voodoo Down. It begins with some loose snare playing, some double bass notes and some strange guitar playing. Clarinet quickly joins in, and we are in interesting musical territory. Trumpet enters, which evokes the spirit and soul of Jimi Hendrix here. A very unique and classy sounding piece of music, this is really great listening here. Shortly into it, keyboard enters which is classy. This piece is 14 minutes long, but feels a lot shorter than that. It gets moving along nicely with precise trumpet playing, some energetic drum rolls and brilliant listening at hand. Really cool and quirky, this is a fine listen throughout. Instead of merely copying Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis and co. create a fine piece of music to remember Hendrix by. Soon enough, the guitar becomes more prominent here, and this becomes a really fantastic listen with some great improvisation by John McLaughlin. The rest of the band back him up perfectly here, and the guitar playing is very freeform and nicely textured. The speed and dexterity of said guitar playing is unmistakable here, it sounds really awesome. Clever, classy and quirky. Shortly into it, saxophone and trumpet emerge to make this piece continue thriving away. A really well delivered and excellent sounding piece of music, this is incredible to hear, even today. Although it may be rooted in the past, this is a futuristic and forward thinking masterpiece of an album. The keyboard, verging on distortion, plays away nicely in the second half here. This is really amazing and great listening, it just sounds cool. Great music here, and an energetic and lively listen, the guitar and keyboards battle it out for first place. Truth is, everyone is on top form here. It just sounds amazing and incredible here, an extraordinarily interesting and furious piece of sonic craft. It goes somewhat quiet here, letting Miles Davis’s trumpet take centre stage. Really cool and excellent, this is an electrifying listen. It gets loud and crashing towards the end, as everyone puts in their best to show their respects to Jimi Hendrix. Great stuff, it gets somewhat subtle towards the end, before the trumpet steals the show. A great musical number, and definitely worth your time. It ends with a subtle finish.

Last here is Sanctuary, which is over 10 minutes. It begins with a lone trumpet solo, with some touches of other instrumentation here. This sounds really different and unique, even for this album. Surely Miles Davis was as much of a fan of the Rock music of the time, as well as his traditional Jazz setting? In any case, hi-hats and rolling drums gradually enter, along with some unique and crafty double bass playing. This is really top, it is a bit more dramatic and suspenseful than you may think. Great music here, this sounds relaxed and gentle, although the group puts in a remarkable effort. Some nimble double bass playing then begins a louder and different section to this piece. It gradually builds up in volume and intensity, just sounding truly brilliant. The drumming then gets loud and furious, as the rest of the group compete to battle for sonic space. Eventually it almost stops near the middle, with a lone trumpet here. Supporting instrumentation is here, which sounds really nice, awesome and excellent. This is as close as it gets to a solo Miles Davis performance here, just sounding amazing and strong. In the second half, this progresses nicely as the other instruments re-enter the scene. Some extra sounds then enter from the group, and the rolling drumbeats and a louder feel returns here. This is the most suspenseful of all the tracks here, and does not fail to impress. After some time, a groove then develops which is surprising. Towards the end, this continues nicely and retains suspense and dramatic nature. Really great to hear, it builds up to a loud and dramatic finish. The drums in particular get loud and we conclude this track very well.

This is one of the peaks of musical artistry in the history of music, certainly at least, for Jazz music. Miles Davis took some original concepts and ideas, and created a wonderful album that is fresh, energetic, artistic, different and semi-psychedelic. There is nothing quite like it in the history of music, so this adds some interest to this release. Definitely seek this out if you are a Jazz fan, or want something totally different to hear. Fans of Miles Davis will also be delighted to hear that there are remastered reissues out there for your enjoyment, so seek these out if you can.

Superb.

9/10