177. Miles Davis | Bitches Brew (1970)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Pharaoh's Dance
2. Bitches Brew
3. Spanish Key
4. John McLaughlin
5. Miles Runs the Voodoo Down
6. Sanctuary

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Bitches Brew is a complex album. The music is mix of jazz and rock. At least that's what I'm told. I know that part of the fusion was adding electric instruments to the performance. However, I really can't pick out any particular kind of rock music in any of the pieces. It's entirely possible that there are rock features in the music and that I'm just not knowledgable enough to pick them out.

It's things like that which make this album complex. There are other things which are harder to figure out than trying to locate the rock influences in the music. At first, it seems the songs lack any real structure and that there is an absence of melody.

I've listened to this album many times and I have only just begun to discover the structure of these pieces. Melody is sparse, but it's there from time to time. The more musically inclined will have this all figured out in no time, but for more casual listeners, it will take patience.

That it takes many repeated listens for the causal listener to penetrate this album is large problem. Most people are not going to invest the time to do and so they won't even be able to appreciate this album for what it is. But is that the listeners fault? Should popular music be more accessible to listeners? Should Bitches Brew be considered popular music in the sense that it really is being marketed to the public-at-large?

I have spent the time to better appreciate this album and I do enjoy it very much. I actually bought this album because I was looking for music that had a rock and roll sound, but jammed the way jazz musicians jam rather than how rock musicians jam. I don't think that's the album that I bought and I was completely overwhelmed by this album when I first started listening to it. I always enjoyed it, but I never felt like I knew what i was listening to; I always felt at the mercy of the music. That's not the case anymore; however, that doesn't mean I understand in a detailed, sophisticated way what this album is about. Perhaps, I don't understand it all, but rather, I've become accustomed to it. That's completely possible.

Nevertheless, I think this album is worth listening to; owning it is another matter, entirely. This album does require effort and patience to be appreciated, though. I do think this album belongs on the 1001 Albums list. I don't think there's been an album or a musician more daring than Bitches Brew or Miles Davis.

Well, casual listeners will either love or hate this album in its entirety. I can't imagine a casual listener being specific at all. For me, every piece is amazing now that I have a better understanding.

★★★★★★★★★★