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| (kick-ass album art, right?) |
From the time I was very young to this very day, jazz has been the dominant style of music played in my house thanks to my dad and his rather large collection of '60s hard-bop and soul jazz. I didn't really get into jazz until I started college, but ever since I was a kid there was only one Jazz album that I ever knew, but strangely enough, have never even heard until recently: Miles Davis-Bitches Brew
It was probably because of the album's titular title. "Bitches Brew?" How can that not pique your interest when you're 8 years old and don't have the balls to say curse words of your own out loud? As I mentioned above, it was the only jazz album I knew the name of; even Davis' more famous album (the most famous jazz album of all time) Kind of Blue I was oblivious to. Being the only jazz album I knew, I assumed that it was the greatest jazz album of all time or some shit like that without even knowing what the damn thing sounded like.
Several years later, I'm a freshman in college taking a jazz history and development class when I'm reminded of Bitches Brew again. So, with a new interest in jazz, I naturally asked my dad about the album-"what's it like?" "Do you have it?"-etc...And this is what he had to say about it:
"Every time I've attempted to listen to Bitches Brew, my first reaction is to turn it off."
Okaaaaay...that's not exactly the praise and glorification that I was for some reason expecting. And, yeah, he had a burnt copy of the album in his collection. I ignored what he said and gave the album a listen, and this was my initial reaction:
Y'know what, guys? When I think of music, I tend to think of stupid shit like melody, harmony, chords and song structure. I don't know how you guys see it, but that's just me. None of that shit is on here. Except for some very very loose song structure on a couple tracks, I couldn't find any solid elements of traditional music that I just mentioned. It's simply not to be found on this album. Almost every song on here is a very long jam consisting of, well, sounds made by various instruments. It's hard to describe because of the things I mentioned above. I can't talk about the melodies because there are no distinct melodies to be found. I can't talk about the chord changes because there are no chords, etc...all I feel I can talk about here is the musicianship and the general mood of the album and how I feel about it.
First, I'll put this into context for all of you who are oblivious as to what this album is all about. Bitches Brew is a double album that's often credited with being the first true fusion record, basically, a genre defined by the mixture of jazz and rock. The earliest examples of this style by Miles Davis are basically songs that feature even 8th note rock beats and electric instruments (electric guitars, basses, keyboards, etc...)in a jazz context; meaning improvisation on all of these instruments. After this, the style became more accessible and less challenging to listen to (check out Mahavishnu Orchestra, Soft Machine,) but this is where it all began. I personally would label this avant garde (experimental) jazz over fusion because of how bizarre and abrasive this album is for the most part, but I have to admit that it is technically fusion. The rock beats and electric guitar is where the rock similarities come to a halt, however. If I didn't know, I'd label this "alien fusion" not "rock fusion"
The instrumentation on this album was extremely unorthodox for the time it came out on the scene (1969). It featured Miles Davis on trumpet, but that's where the traditional jazz setup ends. At any given time, a song on this album will feature 10 or more musicians including Wayne Shorter on soprano sax and Bennie Maupin on bass clarinet, both unusual instruments in jazz. You'll also hear John McLaughlin (aka God) on a solid body electric guitar rather than the usual hollow body, giving a sharper sound. You'll also hear as many as three distorted electric piano players at once, including the legendary Larry Young. The drum kit, like the trumpet, is also a standard jazz instrument, but here you got fucking TWO of them going at once laying down some deep backbeats (the song "Feio" features another God, drummer Billy Cobham.)Electric bass is also featured on this album, sometimes in conjunction with a standard double bass. Obviously, Davis really went the hell out of his way to create the most unorthodox jazz album possible. He had a new lineup, now to give birth to an entirely new sound...
Within the first few minutes of the 20 minute opening track "Pharaoh's Dance" you will be hit over the head with the realization that you aren't in Kansas anymore, maybe not even on planet earth. You're hit with a barrage of disjointed notes from 13(!)different musicians at once. You'll hear bass clarinet rumbling underneath everything while Davis' trumpet cuts through like a spear. You'll hear Shorter's soprano sax wailing away and blips and bleeps from the electric pianists while McLaughlin's sharp guitar stabs into the darkness. A lot of the time, you feel like the different instruments are talking to each other in some sort of crazy intellectual conversation. Music critic Tom Moon described this album as "night music" and it's easy to see why; this album exudes dissonance and darkness, especially on the first disc. To sum up the first disc, it feels to me like being trapped between two dimensions. You're moving, but you don't know which dimension you're moving towards, or whether your moving up, down left, right, or diagonal. And by the end of the second (and final) song on this disc (the title track), you're still left hanging. You almost feel like the album is chuckling to itself as you sit there totally confused trying to make some fucking sense as to what just happened.
The second disc isn't quite as disorienting. You have the upbeat "Spanish Key" with its thrilling solos and one of the only distinct riffs on the album, as well as the short track (only 4 and a half minutes!)"John McLaughlin" which is obviously a feature for the guitarist. Another standout is the track "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" which starts out as a pretty straightforward mid-paced jazz tune. Recent pressings of the album feature a 5th track called "Feio" which is a total free improvisation. This disc isn't quite as compelling as the first, but it's still very satisfying nonetheless.
In short, this album is polarizing and hard to listen to for those unconditioned to this type of thing. It's a trip, but with repeated listens you will hopefully realize the genius this album possesses and appreciate the ballsiness that this album displays. Fans were divided when this album was originally released, and for good reason, it was a major deviation after all, but now it holds it's rightful place as a major milestone in jazz and is hailed as a masterpiece. For those who are ready, take the journey. As the aforementioned Tom Moon says, "The more you love music, the more music you love." even if the music sounds like an inter dimensional sound test
LISTEN HERE
Within the first few minutes of the 20 minute opening track "Pharaoh's Dance" you will be hit over the head with the realization that you aren't in Kansas anymore, maybe not even on planet earth. You're hit with a barrage of disjointed notes from 13(!)different musicians at once. You'll hear bass clarinet rumbling underneath everything while Davis' trumpet cuts through like a spear. You'll hear Shorter's soprano sax wailing away and blips and bleeps from the electric pianists while McLaughlin's sharp guitar stabs into the darkness. A lot of the time, you feel like the different instruments are talking to each other in some sort of crazy intellectual conversation. Music critic Tom Moon described this album as "night music" and it's easy to see why; this album exudes dissonance and darkness, especially on the first disc. To sum up the first disc, it feels to me like being trapped between two dimensions. You're moving, but you don't know which dimension you're moving towards, or whether your moving up, down left, right, or diagonal. And by the end of the second (and final) song on this disc (the title track), you're still left hanging. You almost feel like the album is chuckling to itself as you sit there totally confused trying to make some fucking sense as to what just happened.
The second disc isn't quite as disorienting. You have the upbeat "Spanish Key" with its thrilling solos and one of the only distinct riffs on the album, as well as the short track (only 4 and a half minutes!)"John McLaughlin" which is obviously a feature for the guitarist. Another standout is the track "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" which starts out as a pretty straightforward mid-paced jazz tune. Recent pressings of the album feature a 5th track called "Feio" which is a total free improvisation. This disc isn't quite as compelling as the first, but it's still very satisfying nonetheless.
In short, this album is polarizing and hard to listen to for those unconditioned to this type of thing. It's a trip, but with repeated listens you will hopefully realize the genius this album possesses and appreciate the ballsiness that this album displays. Fans were divided when this album was originally released, and for good reason, it was a major deviation after all, but now it holds it's rightful place as a major milestone in jazz and is hailed as a masterpiece. For those who are ready, take the journey. As the aforementioned Tom Moon says, "The more you love music, the more music you love." even if the music sounds like an inter dimensional sound test
LISTEN HERE
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