a strange kind of brew

When Miles Davis' double LP Bitches Brew first found its way to the record stores in 1970, it not only would transcend every musical boundary line you could name off the top of your head. It also would influence musicians from all walks of life & musical genres in the process. Having said that, Bitches Brew would send the fusion movement full steam ahead with many of this recording's participants striking out on their own with new groups (Weather Report, Return to Forever & Mahavishnu Orchestra just to name three key players in the fusion genre).

True, Bitches Brew sold like hot cakes to the general public, it went gold, got a lot of rock music enthusiasts turned on...This album would go on to become Miles' best-selling record ever. Soon he would perform at rock venues such as both Fillmores as well as the Isle of Wight. Of course, the Prince of Darkness raised many a eyebrow as he was accustomed to doing at this juncture in his career: Purists were cringing at the new directions which the man was taking his music but he couldn't care less; he was never one inclined to perform the same old, same old material which his fans were expecting him to play night after night.

With Bitches Brew Miles Davis also made it adamantly clear to us where he drew the line when it came to the music he wanted to play, the directions he wanted to take it...The end result is some of the most amazing stuff ever recorded, by the way.

Picking up where his groundbreaking predecessor In A Silent Way left off, the studio became a musical instrument in itself, in its own special way. This time around, the application of the studio as musical instrumentation became even more pronounced, more apparent than ever, more obvious from the get-go. Two cases in point: "Pharoah's Dance" & the title track. Although it sounded like a cast of musicians jamming their tails off, large sections of this album, particularly the aforementioned compositions, relied on studio technology to create something which wasn't necessarily representative of the music which actually was committed to tape. By way of tape loops, delays, echo effects, reverb & extensive tape editing, Bitches Brew became a hallmark masterpiece of musical innovation, especially in terms of how the technology of that time period was used to create such a controversial & yet influential work of art.

Almost 40 years later, this music has aged quite nicely & found ways to endure. From the rollicking "Spanish Key," the hypnotic loopfests of "Pharoah's Dance" & the title track, right down to the ambient closer "Sanctuary," Miles & company were honestly churning out a pretty unique brew of sounds & colors previously unknown to the jazz community. With this effort, Miles changed the course of not only jazz but all of popular music; many musicians who were influenced by this album could do no wrong in putting this recording among one of their top 10 favorites.

Yes, it's that mysterious & powerful, even now.