Bitches Brew cover

Bitches Brew

Released

This 1970 double LP is a world-shattering meta-event, commenting on everything that came before and casting a shadow over much that followed. Musically, it’s a mixed bag. The first disc’s two side-long pieces are radical sonic collages, hours of jamming sliced ’n’ diced by producer Teo Macero into proto-hip-hop loops and call-and-response sequences. The actual tunes lay complex jazz interaction atop churning rock-soul jungle grooves. The second LP’s four tracks are jams and snippets, less fanatically edited and more documentarian, proving that Davis could make even an ensemble this large and unwieldy (trumpet, two reeds, three electric pianos, guitar, two basses, two drummers, percussion) cook.

Phil Freeman

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