Bitches Brew

Not the easiest listen, but definitely a milestone in music history.

Clocking it at nearly 2 hours of experimental jazz, this album is a tough inclusion on a daily listening list. It's difficult to approach music like this inorganically, but this record deserves the accolades its earned over the years and I'll need to find time to sit down with it again. From what I was able to digest I really enjoyed.

It’s oddly satisfying, I’m just happy listening but don’t know exactly why 😂

Weirdly got this back to back with In a Silent Way, and this is a much longer album with a more expansive sonic palette.

alright he got time!

The only downside to this album is that the length keeps me from getting quality time with it. It was weird and inventive but still rooted in the jazz you love Miles for.

Is this what they call free jazz? These guys are all masters of their craft. I wonder how much actual structure there is to these songs, because there are distinct sections, but many of those could very likely be a result of coordinated improvisation rather than a compositional framework. In that sense, it is almost impossible to replicate this kind of music; if another group of jazz musicians tried to cover of any of these, it would surely come out different to the extent of being unrecognizable. I like how the tunes ebb and flow between chaotic and calm sections, and it's very cool to see how each member plays off of each other. This music would be 10 times better live, It's one of those things that the more attention you give it, the more it gives back. Without it being live, you have to really concentrate your ear on individual parts and visualize them playing it to fully appreciate the music. I also sensed some of the time period, hints of Herbie Hancock, and not just because of the electric base and keyboard. There's nothing quite like this, which means it requires a certain state of mind, but it also means that it can reach you in a way unlike any other music. Tough to rate though

Accurate title

need to have time to get into it.

Another one of those album's that I like but would never really return to unless I put it on in the background. In order to fully appreciate this you need to really pay attention and that's not something I want to do all the time while listening to music. The musicality on display here is otherworldly and there are a number of songs here that I found to be quite hypnotising but I think because of it's length and quite demanding nature, this isn't going to be something I'll fully re-listen to again even though I do think this is pretty great. Fav Songs: Miles Runs The Voodoo Down, Pharaoh's Dance, Spanish Key Least Fav: John McLaughlin 8.1/10

Experimental jazz/jazz fusion can be incredibly fun to listen to.

I’m surprised how much I enjoyed this, I’ve never really listened to Jazz and wasn’t looking forward to trying this. I can see how this was considered revolutionary at the time, the musicianship here is top notch, I would say my favourite track is either Spanish key or Miles runs the voodoo down. It misses out on one star for the fact that it’s not something I’ll be adding to my regular rotation at this point, but if I’m in the mood for Jazz, I’d definitely give this another play.

Eclectic and experimental

Halt scho tuff

Entspannt

Groundbreaking

The best jazz album Ive listened to yet. Its long but Its really good. I hate seing more experimental album getting bad reviews on this site... Open your mind people.

It would have hit so much different if I was either drunk or high.

i don't know much about jazz; i'm finding it a little hard to write an interesting review, so i'm going to keep it short. this album is a masterpiece -- even a novice like me can notice that. the musical palette on this thing is complex and layered, and generally he is able to transport you in space and time, unlike many others. i had a great time listening to this. that album cover is bad ass, too.

Way too long but good. Just a jam with some of the best jazz musicians of the time.

Serious vibes.

Love Miles Davis! Thought the album was brilliant. Really got me grooving. Long album though so took longer than I wanted to get through it all. Time and place would make this even better.

My head is spinning. This is a challenging listen that's like a feverish nightmare at times. But I mean that in the best way possible, because I absolutely loved it. The electric piano, reverb, and dissonant, fragmented melodies leave you feeling dizzy. This isn't a collection of songs, it's artistic sonic experimentation. The improvisation is obvious, but what isn't as obvious is the post-production editing. It's freeform improv mixed with careful post-production assembly, building up to peaks, and giving breathing room through troughs. The percussion section gets into a proper groove. There's definitely improv happening here, but it's also the driving force that allows the other instruments to fly wildly all over the place. The electric guitar and bass lines bring these pieces out of what you'd traditionally associate with jazz, and more into the world of avant-garde. At times it feels like Can, at other times it has a "Kid A" vibe to it. This isn't music you put on in the background as you're doing household chores. This is music you put headphones on for, and let it engulf you until your head is spinning.

Sorry but everyone crying this is “too experimental” might be a baby and an uninteresting person

My top five Miles albums are all from the bebop/ cool jazz phase, but this noodley (but compelling) offering might be number eight or nine.

Initial thoughts are quite good. Not my usual listening but I think repeat listens would be good.

Growing up, I didn't particularly like jazz. My grampy was really into it, but my only real exposure to the genre before adulthood was playing trumpet in my middle school jazz band, which my parents made me join. I dreaded going to the practices because none of my close friends were in the ensemble and the director was kind of a jerk (he ended up getting arrested for operating under the influence and assaulting a police officer – true story). Ironically, Haywyre and Kendrick Lamar (two artists who could have only barely been considered jazz at the time) were more accurately my gateway into the genre. Not to say that their work had me itching to dive into jazz proper, but Two Fold Pt. 1 and To Pimp a Butterfly were both really important albums in my journey to figuring out my music taste after listening to basically nothing but Christian rock for half my life. That said, I was more more susceptible to the genre's allure by the time I had to take a History of Jazz course during my sophomore year of college and there was one artist my professor couldn't stop praising: Miles Davis. He painted Davis as not only a generationally-talented trumpeter, but an innovator at the forefront of almost every major jazz movement. When it was time to learn about jazz fusion, I was intrigued by an album he referred to as "Mm-itches Brew" (if it wasn't already obvious, I went to a Pentecostal school), which was apparently a landmark release for the genre. I got even more interested in it once I heard the title track – I had never heard a jazz record so uniquely psychedelic before and it instantly clicked with me. Once the semester ended and I had some disposable income from working full-time, a B**ches Brew CD was one of the first purchases I made (along with Kind of Blue and Heavy Weather). I listened to the full album for the first time in my friend Hunter's car while we ventured out to pick up a new commute bicycle for me. He listened to music in a really intrigued and nonjudgmental way, so he really was the perfect person to consume this sort of album with. Although I'm not into jazz to quite the same degree as I was back then, my opinions on B**ches Brew haven't changed all that much in the years since – it's still one of the most unique, entrancing and avant-garde fusion albums I've ever heard. It's an absolute must-listen for anyone looking to take the plunge into the world of jazz, especially for folks who want an album that feels cutting-edge and experimental (even today). Admittedly, its excessive song lengths prevent it from being the kind of thing I can pick up and play any time. The title track alone is longer than a lot of albums are and I rarely ever have the time/attention an album like this requires to be fully appreciated. It doesn't help that the two shortest songs are also the weakest of the bunch (in my opinion), so putting one of those on to quickly scratch my Miles Davis itch is basically out of the question. All things considered, I'd give B**ches Brew four stars based on my own rating criteria. I'd love it if the album were just a smidge more approachable and if the two shortest cuts were slightly more memorable, but it's a near-perfect jazz experience that I'm happy to sit down with every few years. Please give this one a fair shot – you're not going to find another Book Album like it! Highlights: Pharaoh's Dance, B**ches Brew, Spanish Key, Miles Runs the Voodoo Down

This is a beast of an album. It takes you places. That's all I gotta say.

the album people that say that they hate jazz love. what else to say?

Alles één samengesmolten klont, dus favo track kan ik niet zeggen. Wel heerlijk plaatje voor een dag thuis.

Not actually going to give this five stars on account of being great ambient jazz; it did what it needed to but felt a little too repetitive, monotonous, and dull for the length

A little bit all over the place, but in a good way

This was nothing like I expected but in a really good way

This is some wild shit

A couple days ago my family was at one of those aquariums with moving sidewalks where you can watch sharks swim over top of you. We couldn't tell if the sound we were hearing was jazz music from the aquarium sound system or something rubbing in the sidewalk mechanism. That said, this album might be my gateway drug to jazz. While listening I felt mostly just puzzled.

A bunch of goats jamming for almost two hours Not songs I’d go back to often cause of the length but I’m glad I listened to this One of the first jazz fusion albums — cool funk grooves

if the 70s film soundtrack doesn’t sound like this i don’t want it

Miles goes electric!

I love Miles Davis now Edit Mar 27 2026: 5 --> 4. I haven't played this album *as* much. Maybe if I play it more in the future I will bump it up more

Awesomely uniform

I love jazz!!!!! Ik hou nog meer van moeilijke jazz!!!! Laat het vreemd klinken heerlijk. Wel had ik migraine vandaag, dus echt deep listening werd het niet hihi.

Ya like Jazz?

I mean... one of the greatest jazz albums of all time. Although tbh, not my current taste in jazz!

Yeah dude high as fuck jazz I love it

This was chaotic and wild and I probably won’t listen to it again but it deserves some love

Free jazz by the best

whatever Miles was on (hard drugs), I want it.

really long but i can see how influential this is. not sure how often i’d gravitate to it tho to play regularly

bitchez gonna bru..... bitchez gonna bru.

I do not really know how to judge this. To me this is a collection of very long fusion-y tunes that are the right sort of nice dischordant to feel thoroughly cool enjoying this. The introduction of electric elements is really cool and a step for the genre, but I don't know how to judge this, needs more listens

Background music

Joya!

Not my favourite

Absolute classic and staple for a reason

Difficult

I skipped this album when I first saw because I think I was worried it’d be too challenging to listen to on a Wednesday. But on Saturday I was making a cake and listening to radio 6. There was a comedian on there, who I couldn’t remember the name of, who said jazz was like comedy. It’s about pushing something to the extreme for the purpose of fun. That alone made me turn that off and listen to this. It was challenging, but in a way that was exciting; I didn’t know what was going to come next. I am not well versed in jazz by any means, and I kind of thought that was exciting. I listened to this and was excited by what was coming next. I know miles Davis is a kind of master of jazz, but I am unsure it would have made a difference who it was. I was excited by this as an album, and the length of it didn’t make a difference because of the mind set I was in. Would listen again and I look forward to listening to more jazz. Thank you radio 6 comedic guest, you pushed me to listen to this in a positive way.

I've never really listened to an album like this before. I sat back, and let it take the lead.

8/10

80 % de corrélation psychédélique je crois avoir tout entendu après une heure haha

For the most part I think this album is great, but my biggest problem is the 2nd song. More me, not enough really happens in it to warrant it being 26 minutes long. Besides that, I love all of the experimentation and chaotic passages. High 4.

I enjoyed it, didn't LOVE it. First track off vol.2 was awesome

This is far out, man. Maybe a little too far out.

Très très expérimental, pas le genre que j'écouterais au quotidien. J'ai lu "on dirait des musiciens de jazz qui se préparent avant le concert", je comprends l'idée. Vraiment un délire.

Miles Davis at his best. Not much else to say; his expansion into full-blown jazz fusion is a legendary moment in music history.

Very long songs but defo a great instrumental

Loved it, love me some miles

This guy was untouchable. He was great at everything. The man could redefine music. This album pushed the boundaries of what music could be.

Creo que no lo entendí por completo

Every time I get a jazz album I say the same thing - I just don't get it. Like, I understand people think it's masterful, and Miles Davis is the GOAT, and blah blah blah, but it's just not for me. Well, this IS for me. I couldn't possibly tell you the difference, except this shit sounds like someone is about to do something dark, and most jazz sounds like background music while you peruse handbags at Macy's.

Will occasional dip into this album over the years, it’s a mixture of the relaxing and a light challenge at the same time. It gives itself time and the spaces to breath, probably why I like what’s considered avant-garde in jazz more than in rock, there is more structured freedom that embraces the innovative whereas in rock I just find it more chaotic and directionless. Personal choice. Found myself getting lost within this morning, superb. I understand jazz is a preference but I don’t see why this is considered so challenging (by people who seem to like byork ??) it’s not like it’s Coltrane late period, which is a challenge. Anyway superb 4.5 Star

supa good... i already listened to this prior

Noita

Happy to report that this became a very good album to listen to as I was packing to go to Florida tomorrow. I was very nervous about listening to it, given what I've heard over the years about Davis' jazz fusion being difficult at times, as well as reading some of the reviews from this website. I found it to be a much more pleasant (if that's the right word) experience overall, though some songs were more than others. My favorites were the title track and Miles Runs the Voodoo Down, but I can't say I strongly disliked any of it. I am not going to seek out any of his non-list albums, but I'm glad it was one I needed to hear. My cat, however, did not at all enjoy Feio. She kept on looking around to see what was making all those weird sounds.

Was a good album to listen to for something different

3.8/5 Brilhante e sem foco em medidas iguais. Gravação e mixagens são o ponto alto.

Lovely vibe!! Fs one of my go to 8/10

The longer it went on for, the more it grew on me

J'ai adoré ! Je n'y connais rien mais j'ai pris mon pied.

This record has a real bitchin’ vibe.

Great, just not Birth of the Cool great.

9/10 really fun cool jazz, some very unique parts. Love miles davis

her er jeg fullstendig ut av både komfortsone og forståelsesgrunnlag. nå har jeg hørt denne ig. jeg skjønner det er en teknisk oppnåelse men det får meg ikke til å føle noe. eller. jeg føler meg jo ukomfortabel. dette albumet fikk meg til å flytte tidspunktet på dagen jeg vil høre nytt album.

Amazing to think about this album in context. Jazz was the domain of acoustic instruments. Electric instruments were for rock. This album blurred the lines between them and inspired a whole genre of jazz fusion. It’s hard to imagine Weather Report existing without this album.

Felt like a philistine at first, because I couldn't connect with the first disc at all. The second half is full of guitar freakouts and cool electric piano stuff, and really hit. Especially loved "Spanish Key" and "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down."

Ye buddy

Nice jazz album. Great drums and bass. Good atmosphere created throughout the album

Il y a des sacrés bons grooves de McLaughlin et du gars au keys, j'ai oublié c'est qui. Mais on dirait que c'est toujours trop court par rapport aux interminables couac de trompettes overdubbed de Miles. Alice dit que c'est pas de la musique, c'est du bruit. Moi je dis que c'est beaucoup trop long même si c'est délicieux dans l'essence.

Pas mon style préféré de jazz mais je ne me vois pas donner moins de 4 étoiles. J’ai préféré In A Silent Way, suis-je fou de dire ça!?!

This record really expanded my world into jazz fusion and experimental jazz when I first heard it. It’s such a strange sonic universe they’ve crafted on this record. John McLaughlin of Magavishnu Orchestra ripping guitar. Miles Davis is almost more of a featured element than the main voice as I hear it. It feels more akin to a strange ambient music than noodly jazz fusion (though I appreciate both). It feels extraterrestrial, exploratory. Allegorical to a mind in chaos. Really weird, but not as alienating and noisy as something like John Zorn. Brilliantly strange.

I really enjoyed this album. This is my 3rd Miles Davis album and all are excellent. This is the soundtrack to a super cool persons life.

I admittedly couldn’t define “fusion” for you, but I normally don’t like music associated with that word. It’s been about 10 years since I’ve last listened to this album, and in the time since I’ve come across and grown to love other works by some of the musicians in Davis’s band (most notably Wayne Shorter). And I return to this album able to appreciate it on its own terms, not as a genre-type. This is not easy music for me, and it might be another 10 years before I listen to it fully again. But I enjoyed the heck out of it. And I still don’t like fusion.

Bitches Brew is a slow burn for me. I have to remain simultaneously focused and aloof while listening so I don't take it so seriously yet still remain aware of what's happening. It's a good driving album, or at least it was this time around. I wasn't sucked in until around the 10 minute mark during the title track. Miles goes hard on the horn and everyone around him is respectfully grooving away, giving just enough to shine yet not overshadow the great one. Spanish Key and Miles Runs the Voodoo Down are two other tracks that had me for their entirety. The only thing about this album is....it's too long. There's so much going on within each 10+ minute track that by the end of it you feel like you got consensually fucked by a gorilla.

Good album but I don't have all day to listen to 27 min songs. This is the type of jazz people talk about when making fun of it but I do like it. Will revisit

Generous and lengthy!

I've never actually listened to this before. It's really good, even though I had to break it into a couple of sessions due to its length. High four.

Better then kind of blue

Absolute experience of an album. You just can't rate it like almost any other; it's like listening to the mechanisms of a clock rather than its chime. Can't give it a 5 though, just don't love it enough (not yet at least)

Need to review

Really solid Jazz, but good lord is it a long album. Great to put on in the background.

songs are DMB concert length, but very vibey!

Listened both while driving to work and chilling at home. Found it better at home, not engaging enough for driving. I don’t fully “get” jazz but it was cool.

Possibly the most famous experimental jazz album ever made (if not "A Love Supreme"). What's interesting about "Bitches Brew" is the major intersections with rock n roll, while sounding nothing like rock n roll, jazz, or anything that could be described as "jazz rock". Davis was heavily inspired by Jimi Hendrix and the increasing use of electric instruments in popular music. So you might have expected this to sound like a jazz album with a lot of overdriven guitars. Nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, Davis produces something like a template for jazz fusion and prog rock in equal parts. The album would go on to inspire generations of rock stars, including bands like Radiohead. The album art as well feels far more like something you'd like from a psychedelic rock band, with scenes from (presumably) Africa melting into the sky. It's a complex triumph of an album with its secure place in history. But it's definitely not an easy album to listen to. It's no mere background album, but it demands attention and memory. It's completely fair if you don't have the energy for it, but the album remains there for those who do.

will keep listening to this

Jazz, 1970 -> 4

I remember trying to listen to this once, and as a fervent male feminist, I immediately turned it off when I read the front cover. I can get behind the brew, but *ahem* BITCH? Don't you mean QUEEN??? From that day on, I swore off this release, until my overlord 1001albumsgenerator.com told me to jump. My only response, is how high... was Miles Davis when he decided to put together a funk fusion record. I genuinely remember hating this, but I was like 17, so if it was interrupting my usual routine of New Japan Pro Wrestling and loneliness, I wasn't interested. I welcome that intrusion now and await the presumably disturbed wailings of Miles and friends. Will this be an acid trip that expands my consciousness, or just causes irreversible damage to my frontal lobe as I wait for NARCAN in the ER. Pressing play will tell the tale. Down the hatch and down the rabbit hole. Pharaoh's danced to this? Maybe the old days were cooler. I've been meaning to get into pining. Just looking out a window and really pining hard for an idea or something. Maybe ancient Egyptian jazz freakouts are my jam. Although, I would most likely have been a serf in that time and expired of old age in my late 20s. Hmm. I'll reconsider the object of my next great pine. Oh no. I'm still trapping myself in the song-by-song format. I need to evolve to paint-by-numbers pitchfork aping! STAT. Sound the alarm. We have a free thinker over here. GET HIM. Off-the-wall, completely insane. Dancing royalty. Psychedelics distilled from the venom of an elderly asp. Vision quests accompanied by great horns echoing off the walls of labyrinthine catacombs. I think I vomited a living asp who told me my fate. November 9th 2071. I will leave my job as vape assembler in the NEW United States of America brought to you by Amazon and become a spirit free to roam the oceanic cosmos for the period between my death and when corporations figure out how to reanimate corpses to produce more "economic value." If this is the soundtrack to my ascension and subsequent resurrection at the hands of the rulers, I can have faith that I will come back with the ability to turn people inside out by chanting an incantation scrawled in a forgotten language on the inner sanctum walls of the Chichen Itza. I mean this thing is groovy BUT maybe knock one star out of the cosmos for how bloody long it is. May it shatter into a million planets that house life hitherto unseen and wholly incomprehensible to the minds of humans. That's what I got out of this record. That, a couple sores from feverishly dancing to the snake-charmer like jazz for about 90 minutes and the further confirmation that 17 year old me was woefully misinformed about a great deal of things. Now scoop me another ladle out of that cauldron, these dogs sure can brew. Or are the dogs IN the brew? No matter, two scoops to go. 4 HIGHLIGHTS: Bitches Brew

Distractingly good! Not much you can do when this is playing. Just turn up the volume and get High!

acho esse incrível jazz experimental me dá uma sensação parecida a de andar descalço na grama completamente doido de droga (não consigo elaborar além disso)

PEDRADAÇA!! ótimo pra trabalhar ou encher o cu de droga. depende da sua rotina. dito isso, jazz fusion da melhor qualidade. gostosinho demais, me deixou focadão na diagramação, no puro êxtase dos instrumento maluco

What a great album

148/1001 Miles Davis - Bitches Brew Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ✅ Yeah this absolutely rules

There are some really amazing explorative sections of music on this album. There is also some parts that just kind of meander a little too much. This is so close to being a truly amazing album. 4/5 Will listen again

Finfin jazz, æ e fan.

This is a really good album, though not Miles Davis's best entry on the list. (It's probably one of the coolest album arts on the list, though). The tracks are long and meandering, just as one would expect from an avant-garde jazz album. That's a good thing, in my mind, and it gives this album a more immediate feel, almost like you are listening live. My main demerit against this album is that the very long tracks blur together quite a bit, I think I would have liked the whole package better if the individual songs had more identity. Favorite track: "Pharaoh's Dance"

I can't say I really like it but it's not just noise, your can sense his musical genius in there.

Too long but good jazz

Free form jazz

I am learning to appreciate this album the more I listen to it

I was afraid to listen to this Album. So big, such a reference, but what was I to think? I think, if you let yourself fall into it, it can change your life, it can be more than music or a hell of a lot of single notes. At the same time, I totally get, that you cannot see more than some guys doing weird, disharmonic stuff. I also think that at some moments it gets too repetitive, too long and too caught in itself. But overall, it is the best jazz Album I know. Fav: Bitches Brew

I really struggled with this one, experimental jazz not being my thing. However, the later tracks were a bit more straightforward and enjoyable for me.

I get that it was groundbreaking and some of it is really amazing but I guess I'm more of a 'Kind of Blue' guy.

This kind of felt like jazz on acid. Favourite Track(s): Spanish Key, Miles Runs the Voodoo Down Least Favourite Track(s): Feio

A sprawling masterpiece vest enjoyed at night with s drink (or several given the length in hand). The chaotic explosion (although how chaotic this actually is falls into question in Bitches Brew with the audible “keep it tight”)of noise and seeming refusal to follow traditional structure just works and creates something wonderful. Spanish Way feels relatively normal following the first two tracks, being driven along at pace.

I think I could get into jazz

Rating: 9/10 Really cool shit throughout, every track is like its own crazy journey and it’s definitely one of those pieces of music that can’t just be digested understood and loved immediately, you really cannot brute force something so titanic. Favorite song was Spanish Key.

There are similarities to the experimental electronic stuff I like. Enjoyed it.

Never going to be my favorite Miles Davis, but I have gained more of an appreciation of it over the years. Surprisingly listenable once you've made it through a few times and I'm sure it was revolutionary when it was released I just think he did similar ideas to a greater effect on other projects and always am gonna have a soft spot for his hard bop and modal jazz eras over this later stuff.

Not a huge jazz fan, but I like how this one gets a bit psychedelic.

Hell yeah. Not an everyday listen, but this goes hard.

Had low expectations, but it really helped me focus on writing. So I guess it was good?

Usually when Jazz gets this unhinged there is a more aggressive slant to it, a more menacing edge. But Bitches Brew does crazy in an amiable way. It’s oddly structurally robust despite the fact it follows no formula. It wanders, but Miles Davis knows where he is going. He is in control of the whole thing. The music is pouring out of him. Every choice he makes is strange, fascinating and always obviously the best choice. Elsewhere we have heard Davis stand out against a more typical backdrop, but here we get the benefit of his band being on exceptionally very fine form, clearly improvising around a general sense of where Davis is going. Albums of this length are always a little unwieldy, so I had to listen in two parts, but it was a very pleasurable couple of listens and a key to unlock a bit of jazz rock fusion history.

Really cool

"Hey fam its Miles Davis from Jazz. I need $2,000 so I can make Bitches Brew 2. Can you give me your credit card information? Anyways, I have Wayne Shorter with me. Say hi shorty"

Miles Davis went through several creative phases, and like On the Corner a bit later, Bitches Brew is both groundbreaking and divisive. I really love the sound. If there’s any rock influence, it’s mostly in the electrification but it still feels raw and visceral, unlike most traditional jazz-rock. There’s a lot of improvisation; the album could’ve used a bit more structure, but the control and build-ups are fantastic. A major jazz fusion record, mostly worth it for its innovative spirit. There would be more effective ones later on in jazz-funk. But this one broke the ground for jazz- rock and, in my opinion, it is far better than later albums in that genra.

This album I'm was really good. I just get annoyed by long songs sometimes. So it wasn't the best for me people. But still very high quality.

This one has grown on me. I have it on vinyl and haven't listened to it in forever. It's loose, it's wild, but then you blink and it's tight and greasy, but it's all Miles and it's all jazz.

Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: Bitches Brew I enjoyed this more than Kind of Blue. It felt more spontaneous and alive. It was quite long though, and so I only got in a two maybe two and a half listens before I moved onto other music.

Si alguien se pregunta por qué he tardado tanto en hacer reviews es porque me tocaba este álbum y DURA HORA Y MEDIA. Quería escucharlo bien antes de decir algo sobre él. Tengo un beef personal con los álbumes que duran más de lo necesario pero por ser Miles Davis haciendo jazz revolucionario I'll let it slide Fácil distinguir el por qué del culto con este doble álbum, no me cabe duda que es de lo mejorcito del género, pionero y rompedor. Pero como me privó de mantener el ritmo habitual con las reseñas, no le pongo las cinco estrellas. Venga Miles, ven a buscarla. Nah, es coña. Simplemente al no ser un álbum que volvería a escuchar (no me suelen sobrar 27 minutos para tener la misma canción de fondo), no me sale catalogarlo de perfecto. Ojo, lo es, pero vaya, que para que me vuelva a escuchar por voluntad propia una canción que dure más de diez minutos tiene que ser muy especial, y no tengo esa conexión con Miles (soy gen Z) Favs: Sanctuary

3/4

uf, este sí que es un desafio

Det krävs ett visst sinnelag för att lyssna på Bitches brew. Och tid. Har man båda är det en upplevelse att bara flyta med i allt som pågår i den här häxbrygden. Ett mäktigt band skapar groovet som driver på. Låtarna nästan omärkbart ändrar form och man märker inte att det skett förrän mot slutet när cirkeln sluts. Bästa Miles-perioden. Allra starkast är första skivan med Pharaoh’s dance och titelspåret.

schon toll und das cover und keine bass Gitarre drums Bandlogik aber wie oft mache ich es nochmal an? Miles Davis ist schon toll! c

I thought I knew it well but I don’t. It’s always going to be some of the most horrible sound ever.

I guess it's a measure of this album's influence that I can hear this as pleasant background music and not wildly experimental weirdness. I liked it, but not 90 minutes' worth, but what do I know.

вайбово. хороший состав. каждый день такое слушать не буду, но иногда прикольно)

I appreciated the creativity and spontaneity of this album.

Not in a hurry to relisten to this one - but you can't doubt the chaotic mastery of sound and its impact.

There’s no question Bitches Brew is a landmark. The musicianship is staggering — Miles leading this controlled chaos of groove, texture, and experimentation — but it’s not an easy listen. Some sections are brilliant, others feel like a fever dream in sound form. It’s definitely not the Miles record to throw on in the background or to unwind with, but when it clicks, it’s electric. I respect the sheer audacity and the talent on display too much to go lower than a four, even if I can’t see myself reaching for it often.

While I have long considered Miles Davis as one of my favourite Jazz musicians, I always felt a little confused by Bitches Brew. I know it is considered by many people to be one of his best, but the chaos of the opening several minutes had previously scared me away. I was excited to try to listen to this again with open ears and I'm glad I did. While I still find the first half of the first album to be a bit chaotic at times, I feel like in the context of the album it gives contrast to the much more subtle second half. Its hard to compare this to more traditional Miles Davie, ie. Kind of Blue. They are vastly different albums, but what I feel like Bitches Brew does fantastically is evoke a feeling. It's eerie, a bit unsettling but also still somehow put together. Experimental and a little bit insane but also rhythmic and a huge step toward music yet to come. I think if I didn't consider this album within the context of his career, I might not like it, but listening to it now I feel it absolutely has it place.

Tough spot here...already gave Kind of Blue five stars, and Bitches Brew isn’t far behind. Gotta respect how it made the jazz establishment clutch their pearls. Helps when you marry someone twenty years younger who turns you on to Hendrix, Sly, and psychedelia. Miles heard the future and plugged straight into it.

Quite the album, a lot going on. Don't try to do anything else while listening. It's an objectively good album that commands your attention, not a casual listen.

I mean it’s miles, it’s a little crazy, a little wild, revolutionary

Now this is jazz-rock fusion. A spectacular group of musicians build endlessly interesting musical explorations over grooves, with an overall aesthetic that is slightly sinister. This is music that requires deep focus and concentration; there are rarely repeated melodic phrases to hold on to. But if you can orient to the grooves and surrender to the wild musical adventure, it is a thrilling listen.

Frankly, is still need to hear this more to get to know it. And I've certainly heard some easier albums. But, man, this felt so GOOD.

Not one's favorite Miles but still Miles so still great and excellence – and such excellence is always relevant (at least to listeners of taste) no matter what editors say about Miles in the '60s. One digs the expansiveness and toughness and courageous exploration, though certainly understands why others would not so dig. This asks a bit of listeners, though one has always believed it's well worth the effort as with most things Miles. One likes to just put it on and let it sprawl ... in all it's unhurried skronk and toughness. And there's plenty of grooves if one's patient enough (e.g., "Spanish Key").

This album is not for everyone - certainly was not upon its release - but the way Miles Davis and his band cut themselves loose from the polite tether of the jazz that made him famous is thrilling unto itself, and the music is a real step toward the interstellar.

Yet another " i dont know enough about jazz to offer a cogent review, but seems to live up to the hype" selection.

I tried listening to this album a couple of times before, today it finally clicked. What an insane and atmospheric album

Bitches Brew is monumental -- so tremendous it struggled to carry its own weight.

Would prefer to give it 3.5 stars, but I’ll round up

At first I was like "oh sick, this is great jazz!" And then I was like "oh no, this is so much jazz" Excellent music, from and for someone on another wavelength. And despite everything, jazz sometimes feels like a gullibility test. Maybe that's what makes it interesting.

Good background album that isn't boring or uninspired. Lots of cool jazz sounds and enjoyable all through, especially when you're using the album as a way to work on another activity.

I always like Mikes Davis when I hear him, and this is great music, but I’m rarely in the right mind space to give this the time it deserves.

I listened to a lot of Miles when I first got into jazz of course, but this one always felt much more lukewarm than his previous albums, such as the chaotic “Miles in the Sky,” which has always been my favorite record of his. This is probably my most attentive listen of this album and hanging around for the much livelier second disc was worth it, because they felt much less tense and build-up-ish than the first disc. Definitely enjoyed my time with it as a whole, though.

- Great I enjoyed - I thought it would feel long but it really didnt - i cant really say what a stand out would be cause it all blended together well - the songs were long thats not good or bad

An interesting experiment that didn't *quite* make it as far as being great, but definitely good fun to listen to.

Pioneer of the jazz movement. One of his most experimental albums. but I like Someday my Prince will come and Sketches of Spain better.

I've not listened to this all the way through before. Found it hard to get into the first time. Being used to Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain and others, this always stood out as quite chaotic. But I am glad I stuck with it. You can see the progression that Davis was making and appreciate his mastery.

Nice to put on in the background. Have been doing that for a while with studying. Is quite long lol so can doze off when i try to listen to it on its own. Still quite an expansive experience and puts to music a sense of urgency that is really good to do when studying or doing chores. And returning of motifs and shifting to entirely new ones within a song is good enough to retain your attention if you break up listening experience to chunks lol. 4 stars

8/10

I dig, you dig?

first day of school. the whole "abandon all hope ye who enter here" atmosphere lingers... and there's jazz. free jazz. avant garde jazz. with a swear word in the title free avant garde jazz. I have listened to "Sound of Silver" before. but anyway here's a mashup of miles davis soloing over the last song of that album. https://youtu.be/huEtJw7pfLk?si=QrA_te7fIvzzY5HW this album is a whole different beast. pharaoh's dance is good but the title track really feels long and boring to me. that make it a 4. 4/5

Miles Davis’ Kinda Blue is one of my favorite albums. This was miles trying something different like Picasso not painting an apple as an apple. This was different, tough, satisfying, wandering. It felt like experimentation. It is somewhere between a 2 and 4.5.

Confession. I listened to two songs, but that was equivalent to a normal album length. In no world am I spending 1h 46m to review one album. This is clearly good jazz, it has a distinctly progressive feel to it compared to say “a love supreme” which remains my favourite of the handful of jazz albums I’m familiar with. Bottom line though, jazz just ain’t my jive. For enjoyment this is a 3, for execution I’m happy to give a 5 based on my limited. knowledge. I’ll meet Miles in the middle.

What a cast! I love Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea. John McLaughlin, and of course Miles. I'm not sure who the rest of the guys are, but it works.The title track is dope! Uber long songs, perfect for a psychedelic listen. I like the journey on Spanish Key. Long jam session on this album. Miles Runs the Voodoo Down is a change of pace, and Sanctuary takes it back to an earlier Miles sound. Groovy album with a stellar ensemble. 4

Mildly overrated. Love me some Miles but always found this one a bit much.

I always love a good jazz album. It pulls me into a pleasant mood

Nice to listen to

Заебись х2, но сука долго

This bitch brewed

I don’t understand a thing about jazz, but I like it. I especially don’t understand Bitches Brew but for nearly two hours I was never bored. Miles Davis was a weird dude but he could play the fuck out of some trumpet.

Not as good as Kind of Blue but how could it be? It’s also completely different. I do like it but not sure how often I will want to listen to it.

Really enjoyed this. Jazz is very Marmite for some people. Miles Davis is extraordinary though.

Really liking this one. Any jazz that lets the backing drums and bass be properly heard and having leading role is a winner for me. The elec piano (which is quite mellotron like) is also really adding to these songs. Stick a bit of Miles on top and Fanny’s yer aunt, cracking stuff.

👍👍

This was just good to have on while I was doing other things. Not that I was listening passively. There's something about the energy of the music that kept pulling me in. Very enjoyable to be under this spell.

I’ve always gone back and forth on Miles’ work as a musician and a composer, and I think that’s because for the longest time I’ve never fully understood his material. And to understand his music we have to understand why it’s different to the works of other jazz pioneers. The two that immediately come to mind are Charles Mingus and of course, John Coltrane. Two massive names in jazz but both I’ve come to realise are very different to Miles Davis. John Coltrane was not only incredible at his respective instrument but also an extremely capable composer, who through his career always had something to prove. His solos are hectic, filled with lots of notes in small places and extremely complex, so much so that many musicians at the time were terrified to even play with him, he was incredible, and died too soon. Charles Mingus, whilst being a very capable bass player, was more of a composer himself, and created incredible compositions of music filled with huge noise and collective assortments. These works from the late 60s through to the very early 70s were impressive, but im not sure if he was ever really able to expand his work and push the limits of what jazz could become. This is what makes Miles different, cause he was focused on something else, the space in between. Whilst being able to compose, he never wanted to necessarily create music, he wanted to create an atmosphere, a mental picture for the listener, and once this is understood, listening to his music becomes a very different experience. Miles instrumental involvement on Bitches Brew and scattered throughout, making its presence known through long, singular notes, no complexity, all feeling, every note has an emotion, a purpose, a goal to take the listener somewhere they are not. Both this album and 1969s In A Silent Way (album prior) have a similar atmosphere, I imagine dark streets lit by a singular street light, foggy weather and one person walking through the damp lit scene, Miles Davis. I thoroughly enjoyed this album, and came to realise that Miles’ influence on what jazz could be is incomparable to anyone else, from this record onwards miles goes on to be limitless, I mean listen to Do Wop, the guy is a freak of nature. Sorry for sounding like an unbearable music snob, i unfortunately am one. 4.2/5 FTW Happy Monday girlies, let's listen to some Jazz. Before writing this review, I did a little bit of research because I wanted to understand what I was getting myself into. 'The album that changed Jazz forever', but honestly, it mostly sounds like someone spiked a Jazz bands coffee with psychedelics and let them improvise for a few hours. It doesn't sound like the jazz I imagined, there isn't any smooth sax solos or polite background music, its what I imagine the inside of FTW's head sounds like. So it's definitely not smooth jazz, it's dark. electric and kinda hypnotic? The drums and the base don't swing they 'pulse' in like a weird spacey funky way. Do I understand what's going on musically ? Not even close. But I think that's the point, it's less about melodies and more about atmosphere and vibe. So no I don't get it, but I feel more intelligent for even listening too it. 4/5 - HF xo I love Miles Davis but I'm doing this review with extra gusto under threat that Finn will probably disown me as a brother if I don't. Miles Davis is a name I've been aware of for quite sometime and though my experience of listening to his albums isn't as extensive as Finn's, It's abundantly clear from my dabbling in jazz as a genre both how much of a genius Miles Davis is and how he impacted Jazz not just as a Genre at the time of him producing music but the impact he left on how Jazz would evolve as a whole, with the development of many genres of Jazz as well as the pioneering of Jazz fusion with Funk, Rock and Electronic music mixed in with the chaotic sounds of jazz, on albums like Bitches Brew especially. With the opening track Pharaoh's Dance, it leaves the listener with a sense of controlled chaos and in my case even anxiety in parts as well as there are so many individual pieces to this structure, the chaotic and explosive bursting cries of trumpet from Davis, chaotic keys of the electronic piano, with the backing of a steady jazz fused drumbeat and basslines keeping all the chaos barely contained in the most beautiful way possible. Not to get too real but it's incredible that through Miles Davis this musically mental genius inspired, Prince, Radiohead, even Kendrick Lamar and Carlos Santana have their little bits of inspiration they take from this nutter, it's fucking mad. Moving onto the 2nd track of the album 20 minutes in, that's fucking jazz for ya, The albums title track begins with an almost hesitant bass, throwing out a handful of notes before the cries of high pitch screeching piano notes play out, like cries of the bloody damned, then we're met once again with the aggressive cries of Davis's trumpet, reverb echoes the yells as they look to find their place within the songs structure, backed by a drum mirroring the chaotic anger of a man who's downed a six pack of Stella and wants to go toe to toe with the Mrs. After the song settles into itself, bass takes centre stage, alongside what sounds like an the slow ominous ton of some kind of bass wind instrument, maybe a bass sax? Whatever it is after the chaos that proceeded it, it grabs your attention, sit you down in front of your homework and you don't dare move. As the progression builds, other instruments find their way into the mix, Miles Davis Trumpet, even a few high tone guitar chords thrown in there, if there's one thing this album does well it's controlled chaos, you're just along for the ride. With Spanish Key we finally get to some guitar FINALLY ! And it does not disappoint. A mixture of clean, reverbed, jazz chords, with the feint keys in the back almost goading it on, with the whispers cries of the trumpet flairing in the background, held together by funky basslines and a steady drumline. The occasional sparky chord firing out from the guitar progresses into jazz licks and runs, with half tone bends, and bluesy little pulls offs and hammer ons, this is probably my favourite track of the album I won't lie, it's a guitar wanking wet dream. The wind instruments do take the stage for the later half of the track but this doesn't take away from what is probably the most structurely clean song of the album, bar John McLaughlin which follows in the same way as Spanish Key structure wise, with more of a focus on the guitar as a whole. Miles runs the Voodoo down can be described as the where the Jazz Fusion side of this album really shows it's head, the bluesy fusion of this solo is complex and leaves the listener even unsettled at times. Davis breaks the boundaries of the instrument within this track, the sound is time settles with beautiful grace and other times screams with raw energy. This doesn't even take away from the backing musicians who keep it tight with those same bluesy little licks and beautiful clean chords from the guitar with the drums and bass keeping the structure of the track tight, close to flawless. Sanctuary is a fitting end to the album, it's opening minute holds a deep sense of melancholy to it in a way, through Davis playing there's raw emotion in the held notes of that bloody trumpet, with the back instruments almost on standby in comparison to previous tracks, waiting for their place to slot in. After the four minute mark it's like a jazz backing band interrupted a funeral, the melancholy of the trumpet almost at war with the slapping bass, funky drumlines, then like anyone walking into the funeral of someone you don't know, promptly leave after a minute. For the remainder of the track, the brass is the forefront of the track, with the occasional whisp of the backing track. Right so after I've gobbed on for too long, this album is a staple for Jazz music overall and should be an album you listen to at least once, is it a fun listen? Absolutely but is it a once a week album? No but it is an important album nonetheless, 4.2/5 MTW This is my 3rd favourite Miles Davis album and it is still the 3rd greatest jazz record of all time. 4/5

Good

Mind-blowing jazz, but ultimately the length of the tracks made it a 4 instead of 5

I want to watch whatever movie this music is the soundtrack for.

Álbum de soul ótimo! Celest Phoenixcall.

9/10

The big, strange brother of In A Silent Way. Keeps the same focus on atmosphere but adds a great dose of the avantgarde. Serious grooves and soundscapes, incredible playing from all involved. Does overstay its welcome slightly though. Pharoah's Dance, Spanish Key and Bitches Brew are masterpieces. Would get a 9 if I could.

It was hard to resist giving an album titled Bitches fucking Brew and has that fucking cover(!!!) 5-stars, but I am going with my better (conservative) judgement. Anyhow, this rocks, and I'm sure this will only rise in my estimation with time and relistens.

Not my usual jam but I like it.

HAPPY ALBUM 500!!!!! Both album #1 and album #500 are Miles Davis! I don’t have much to say about this album in a song to song basis, as it defies typical song/album structure. But on the whole it’s spectacular. Functions both as a good background listen and a project that you can really focus in on from moment to moment. Halfway through “Pharoahs Dance” is when I knew I’d be enjoying this album. The first two minutes of the title track also stand out with how jagged all the instrumentation is, it really perks your ears up. The last two minutes of it also dive into some really interesting bits of silence and more muted instrumentation. My pick from this album is “Miles Runs The Voodoo Down” for its guitar work and rhythms. Worth the full album run time 4/5 stars also has the exact color scheme as Porter Robinson’s Spitfire EP.

Classic Jazz album!

Lovely jazzy listen 4

really impressive, one of the best Jazz albums I have ever heard

a classic. What more do you want? Album art would make a sick arm sleeve tattoo. 4.

--Spanish Key gets me going I connect with the back half more than the front Reaction: Yikes. I think this music is above my head. But I hear the virtuosity and I hear the other music it would eventually inspire. Definitely something everyone should listen to before they die

noice

Such a rich interesting album that reveals more each time you play it….

I was quite surprised to find out that some tracks are like over 10-20 mins long. Haven't gotten to listen to old school jazz (idk if I can call it old school as it's from 70s) until I got to listen to this album. This album is certainly unique as I could notice that Miles was experimenting with other elements from other genres.

What to say. It’s bitches brew. Not my doctored miles album which I am sure we will get to 😊

swaggy sunday

Ziemlich kreatives Jazz Album

Nothing else like it. A shower of notes

First track is amazing, up there with the previous album. The rest is decent and certainly far from boring. I've started looking forward to jazz!

Enjoyed, not a big jazz aficionado so difficult to make comparisons

Finally entered

Perhaps not consistent over its long run time, but an undeniable classic nonetheless

This is just tooooo loooooooong an album for my poor attention span. Musically, this is ranks up there with "Kind of Blue" for me, in terms of other Miles Davis albums. I think the electronic instruments do wonders for the sound. In another world where I've got a much better attention span, this one probably gets a 5 from me. Favorite Song(s): Pharoah's Dance, Sanctuary

I was worried about getting this. I’ve always heard this is Miles’ “difficult” and “inaccessible” album. What? I found it totally enjoyable. The music sounded great, not too atonal. The musicians are obviously first rate. I admittedly didn’t pay super close attention to it, even in headphones, as today’s further descent into fascism (National Guard and military against largely peaceful protestors - who are protesting blatantly illegal actions by an unbound “President”) has hijacked my attention. Still, the density, joy, and difficulty of this music perhaps is perfect for the moment. Life, and living in a society of imperfect people, is complicated.

6/3/25. Really good jazz fusion, amazing trumpet playing, and love John McLaughlin's guitar playing. I don't like it as much as In A Silent Way, but this is very close.

Incredible. Enjoyed it immensely.

Although it’s intense both in runtime and content, making it veer away from everyday listening, there’s simply no arguing against Bitches Brew an essential piece of music history. Also, it rules.

Always down for some more Miles Davis. Waiting for my all timer Kind of Blue which should be on here.... Just love the chaotic nature of Pharoah's Dance. If we're talking good jazz this experimental shit is the best. My biggest gripe is that this is entirely too long. It's all really good just too long. High 4.

This seems to be the week for exceptional long songs. I definitely enjoyed this one, it was a nice listen while working. I’m noticeably undereducated when it comes to this style of music, but I liked what I heard.

Warming to this, after only about forty years

excellent jazz if you're into that

A good album, but compared to the other Miles Davis album I got I didn't like it as much. Maybe a bit too chaotic for me, not as smooth of a listen.

Always love Miles.

this has some of my favorite Miles. so many badass moments. sadly as a straight through listen is it long, a little too long at times.

One of the best ever

Second album de MD proposé après 'Kind of Blue' qui fait partie de mes disques préférés (noté 5/5). Je n'avais jamais écouté BB, et j'avoue que je craignais l'écoute vu sa longueur. Mais finalement les 1h34 sont très bien passée : Il suffit de lâcher prise et de se laisser porter ... j'adore ! Rien de conventionnel dans cet album, il n'est pas possible de prévoir ce qu'on va entendre : c'est ce qui fait son charme. Et quelle richesse musicale : je pense qu'à chaque écoute on peut découvrir quelque chose qu'on n'avais pas encore remarqué précédemment. Il va rejoindre ma collection, et il n'est pas loin de la note maximale (difficile d'égaler 'Kind of Blue' !). =>4.5/5

Dozdobro

B Side deutlich geiler. krasse Fusion, man braucht ein bisschen um durch den Wald vor lauter Bäumen durch zu blicken. Dann hat kann man geile Momente entdecken. Zu teilen aber auch anstrengend. Möglicherweise geilstes Cover bis jetzt.

Great but not a hundred percent my kind of music

4 maybe 5

Bitches Brew sounds incredible and is definitely a high water mark for jazz, but it is long and not easily digestible. I have the highest respect for it as it has influenced some of the greatest albums in rock history. It’s a five for artistry alone.

Not quite as good as In a Silent Way for me. Overall I would rather listen to that one. But man when this one cooks, it *coooooooks*.

One of my favorite jazz trumpet player. This has to be one of his best and creative album. I liked it.

Liked this a lot, haven’t heard it in ages. Some stuff sounds King Crimson-ish (track 3). Several ECM-label artists are on this (Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette, and Dave Holland), a label I’m quite fond of. John McLaughlin’s guitar is always welcome. The fact that there’s a lot of of piano and guitar on this (vs. other Miles’ albums) is a plus for me.

Liked this more than I expected to. Didn’t expect all the guitar, which was a pleasant surprise. If it were shorter, I would have listened twice. This may go on a playlist for when Maggie is out of town.

y’all are complaining about a jazz album being experimental??? be fr 4.5/5

Definitely a chill session album. Haven’t had one of those in a whhhiillleee.

Jaime: 4, porque por supuesto si hay una canción de más de 10 minutos, él es fan. Nuria: 3.

This album is definitely jazz, but at times it sounds almost like funky prog rock (think Parliament-Funkadelic). I enjoy psychedelic rock, so I wanted to like this more than I did. It's not that I didn't enjoy it per se. It's vibey and interesting. It's just that I can't imagine ever having the patience to sit down and really actively listen to the whole thing. As background music it's fine. I can even see myself putting on "Spanish Key" (my favorite track on the album) on its own at some point. But a bunch of 26-minute improv instrumental tracks are just not something I'm ever going to pick to listen to — unless it's as background music, which doesn't seem fair to these musicians. I respect this album for what it is, the impact it's had, and for the incredible talent that Miles Davis and the other musicians clearly have. I'm glad I listened to this once. It's just not something I see myself revisiting. 3.5/5 (I'll bump it to a 4 since there are no half ratings)

Not my favorite of his, but because it’s Miles, it’s a 4 out of 5 IMO

Pretty good Miles album. This isn't a go-to one for me, but I still enjoy it with all of its musical meandering and spacious moments. 3.5/5

a lot going here

Highly enjoyable, but not necessarily something I would revisit

Miles Davis departs from the Birth of Cool. The last album of his of had, wherethe songs are now long and unstructured, giving the artists room to play and experiment, as opposed to the short snappy tuned from 15 years prior. This fusion album is mysterious, shrouded in vibes. Overall I really enjoyed it, especially as background for other work. The songs are long enough to get lost in and you can forget to come up and breathe. I liked Pharaoh's Dance more than Bitches Brew, and Spanish Key maybe more than both of them. It's definitely longer than I would have liked, but pretty great muscicianship is on display here.

Deu vontade de ouvir num sábado ou domingo de sala. É sexta. 8/10?

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 8/10 I usually listen to the daily albums during my commute. Due to the length of this album it took a bit longer than one train to work. What else should I say except; I like it. For a jazz album it feels very modern due to the use of electric instruments rather than just acoustic. Due to this it sometimes listens like a jazz fusion album released in the past 10 years. Yeah the jazz is a bit free and sometimes hard to follow. I would argue that this album would be amazing while being under the influence. But can't go to work on a buzz unfortunately.

Listened Before? N Interesting take by Davis. I wasn't aware that he ventured into electronic instruments, but he did here - the effect is unsurprisingly skillfully executed experimental jazz. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Pharaoh's Dance

Consistently the best.

Solid

Lyder både som et af æraens bedste rockbands og som et af æraens bedste jazzbands. Stor 4er

This is likely to be one of the most snobby and pretentious sounding reviews I’ve written in a long time. Simply because of the nature of this album. I don’t intend for it to be that way, but I’m afraid it comes off like that. For someone like me, who spends a lot more time with music than the average person, this may not be such a daunting thing to listen to. But that average person might have trouble digesting an hour and a half of jazz. Fans of jazz music who know more than me might call me basic for constantly speaking so highly of Miles Davis. But there’s a reason he’s regarded as such an important figure by so many. Bitches Brew is one of the most ambitious recordings of his career, maybe second only to Get Up With It. As him and his band got further into their time as musicians, the need for experimentation became more apparent. In a Silent Way showed him moving away from the third stream modal jazz of his previous work and beginning the electric period. It marked a huge change not only for him, but also for jazz as a whole. It’s the jazz equivalent of Bob Dylan making Bringing It All Back Home. That record is probably still my favorite jazz recording of all time. It simply creates an atmosphere unlike anything I’ve ever heard. It’s what I imagine space sounds like in its purest form. Davis wished to continue pushing the boundaries of his electric infused jazz ideas. And in turn, created Bitches Brew, which many label as the beginning of jazz rock. This is an intense record to say the least. Both in musicality and in scale. Beginning your double album with a 20 minute long song on the A-side and a 27 minute long song on the B-side definitely sets the tone. Separates the men from the boys, if you will. I’m mostly joking, but it’s clear Miles was out to create something big. There pieces are expansive, and beautiful, and terrifying at the same time. They confuse and entrance me, but also make me anxious. It’s part of the reason why I speak so highly of his albums. There is just a certain level of musicianship these guys were on that others can’t compare to. You have to remember there was a time where this was new and weird, and something like this didn’t exist, and they were the first ones to create a world this big through jazz music. I can’t imagine being in 1970 and hearing something like this for the first time. But I also think that’s part of the issue. I love this album, but I don’t know if I could tell someone who is still getting into jazz that they need to hear this. Not until they’ve at least become accustomed to more experimental and unusual forms of the genre. It’s almost too much at some points, and I’m sure I would need more than one full listen to fully digest it. It’s also why I still enjoy In a Silent Way more. It was so much more accessible and I know I can go back to it without any issues. But this is, without a doubt, another excellent and massively groundbreaking set of songs from one of jazz’s greatest masters. Rating: 8/10

I dig most Miles.

and yes they did brew

It's Miles! 4+

Not big on jazz. But this is a classic.

Dude what was Miles Davis on like acid !?!?

Definitely way more experimental and electronic than the previous Mile Davis albums I got. I was impressed by how well I enjoyed this, while being extremely different than his other albums.

Pharoah's Dance - I liked it. I don't think I'm qualified to assess a jazz record. But I like the, what sounded like, improvisation on this one. Bitches Brew - Menacing bassline to start. Wailing reverbed trumpet sounds dystopic. Drummer is having fun on this one. Like the way they bring it all back at the end. Spanish Key - This is the most structured track so far. Guitar is nice on this one. I prefer the controlled chaos of the last two tracks. John McLaughlin - Short track. Miles Runs the Voodoo Down - I like this better than Spanish Key Sanctuary - Was really paying attention to this one. I'm not the target audience for this one. I don't know enough about jazz or do close enough listens to fully appreciate this album. It was enjoyable enough for me though. It's made me more curious about the genre.

I'm not smart enough for Miles Davis.

Ooh yeah, acid jazz. This made my ears perk up. I'm glad I finally got around to listening to this album.

A bit too avant garde for my taste

A difficult listen even for a massive Miles fan like myself but well worth it. There is just something so other worldly about the sound that just captivates me.

When people say they hate jazz, this is exactly the kind shit they're talking about. Here we have Miles "Fucking" Davis in the height of his fame. His band is so under-utilized on this album. His compositions are pushing the boundaries of melody, harmony, all those things what make music *music*. He never quite gets there, though. He never quite breaks through to the lofty heights of true atonality. He calls this album "Directions in Music", and that's all we have: vectors of music vaguely pointed in the same direction. They're all skirting around the edges of melody, firmly stuck in the grey areas. Jazz purgatory. I was listening to a Victor Wooten clinic the other day, and what he said really stood out to me in terms of this album. (https://youtu.be/ruMW7gsuFb0 – Wise man, that Wooten.) This album doesn't want you to enjoy it, to sympathise with it, to groove with it. This album demands from the start that you listen to it. It practically announces, "Pay attention, you musical plebes. I'm an IMPORTANT ALBUM™ and don't you forget it." Man, between my kids and my job, I have enough external forces making demands on my time. I don't need a Miles Fucking Davis album making even more demands of me. This album steadfastly refuses to let me just sit back and lose myself in the enjoyment of it. I ain't got time for that right now.

I crashed my car listening to this album in high school after sitting through a brain-bending standardized test. Upon revisiting it fifteen years later, I find I like it more than before. However, I think the iconic Miles Davis records such as this one and the overrated "Kind of Blue" are not among the man's best, especially when compared to more emotional works like "Seven Steps to Heaven" or "In A Silent Way". Still, "Bitches Brew" stands out as a singularly unpleasant record. The dissonant improv captured on the album is suggestive of hexes and spells, a supernatural voodoo music that can cause car crashes and can ruin your life. I also applaud the fact that a 27-minute tune was squeezed onto one side of a record.

Fav: Bitches Brew Least Fav: John McLaughlin Freestyle jazz was hitting different in the background as I was doing my wordle and other NY Times games.

Sublime, funky jazz music with a spacey sound. A

My third Miles Davis album and perhaps his most popular. As I have said before Jazz was never my favourite genre but the albums by Miles Davis on this list are largely responsible for me appreciating it a lot more. I have bought the CD version of this album and happy to listen to it anytime. It is a challenge to listen to in full from start to finish but if you pick any one of the longer tracks this is just enough to give you as entertaining jazz fix. It’s fully deserving to be on this list and as it’s described as one of the greatest jazz albums ever, a must have in my own collection.. 4/5 5/11/24

this experimental and impressionistic jazz album is pretty much a 1970s version of something claude debussy would've written during his lifetime. while having a simple verse chorus structure, these tracks challenge the listener by their loose and abstract solos. there's some tracks that linger, but most are diamonds in the rough.

Bitches Brew //

My favourite Miles album always switches between in a silent way, kind of blue and this one. All phenomenal

Got to enjoy this on vinyl. Love this record, but wish I had some Dogfish Head Bitches brew to enjoy it with.

Very different to my usual listening, 4/5

If you listen to this and don’t like jam bands I think you need to open up a little and check your ego 🤷🏼‍♂️

Not too jarring, some nice music throughout. I don't think I'd pick it up to listen to but did enjoy it more than expected.

4.5

YAYYYYY pharaohs dance- strap in. idk if the pharaohs were dancing to it but this shit got me two steppin in the club. 8 bitches brew- 7 or 8 spanish key- i <3 the bass. 9 john mclaughlin- 7 miles runs the voodoo down- locked back in. 8 sanctuary- 7 feio- 7 mwah. sorry im only giving it a 4 im just not gaga over it sorryyyyyyyy. favorite songs- pharaohs dance or spanish key

This is one of those albums that has some really cool, interesting points, but goes on for too long. I really like it, but it feels like too much to just sit down and listen to in one go. It's like a 3.9 for me because of that.

On dirait des extraterrestres à qui on aurait demandé d'imaginer ce que la musique pourrait être: à la fois inédit, presque déconnecté, étranger, et une exploration poussée au degré extrême qui manifeste une connaissance intime. Pour moi, c'est une curiosité, mais je comprends qu'on s'y perde (de bonheur comme d'incompréhension).

I LOVED Pharaoh's Dance! This was one of the best new song discoveries I've made so far along this project. It left me in a trance, there was something so captivating about it. The rest of the album was great too, although it didn't reach the same level of magic I felt from Pharaoh.

I get it if people hate this. I think at times it does degenrate into squawks and “noose.” But truly that’s why do like it. This isn’t something I can just throw on in the background. I need to be intensely focused on the music while it’s playing. And when I do that I’m taken on a journey that’s thrilling. 4.5/5

Some spooky jazz baby

Ah yes. One of THE avant-garde jazz albums of all time. Miles Davis’s massive step into psychedelic jazz is something to behold, even if it’s nowhere near his most accessible release

Enjoying ceviche in Peru? Seeing a double rainbow? Did it make you want to fall in love? Tbh Bitches Brew was less listenable than I remembered. It is a brew for sure. I still enjoy it as a piece of art, but lets be real its probably more groundbreaking and significant for musical evolution than it is enjoyable for the ears. Fave Track: Spanish Key 3.8/5

Although I personally believe that even Miles himself has more vibrant and twisted records under his name, this album is a classic for many a good reason, from its sweaty feverish atmosphere to the dense and clever interplay between instruments. I love the bulk of it, even though I have other Davis albums I'd rather return to.

Nearly overwhelming at times, a new departure for jazz music and a launch point for a lot of new styles in music

3rd Miles Davis album I got. I like this better than his 50s work. Favorite song: Pharaoh's dance.

Not in a silent way, but not bad still!

Loved it

Rambly jazz; trumpet, sax, guitar driven

Not easy music to listen to on the side. But it takes you on a great journey. It's as if the music is telling a story.

Første sang var mega nice

Stunningly vibrant and intricate, frequently gnarly and discordant. Not an album for the impatient, but man, there's a lot to enjoy in here if you're willing to embrace a little creative chaos. Fave Songs: Pharaoh's Dance, Spanish Key, Bitches Brew, Miles Runs the Voodoo Down

Don't call them bitches bro.

Miles Davis mesmerizes and dazzles here. There’s something truly hypnotic about the production and composition of what many would say is Davis’ best release. A true modern Jazz standard that should be looked at and studied for how much creativity gets brought forth here.

Good working music. A little too much for me for yesterday but that has to do with my mood.

Bij veel albums ben je geneigd om de cover art te zien als het visitekaartje van de artiest, hoogstens een verpakking voor de muziek die in de sleeve zit. Maar bij deze artwork begint het album, het is een verlengstuk van de muziek, en als je de dubbel LP opent word je de mystieke wereld van Miles' teefjesbrouwsel ingetrokken. Het fascinerende kunstwerkje blijft zich tijdens alle nummers als een mentale videoclip in je brein afspelen, en het zinspeelt op een plaat vol chaotische, afro-futuristische, psychedelische en spirituele tinten. Tussen de surrealistische tekeningen leest de luisteraar ''Directions in music by Miles Davis'', om hem voor te bereiden op een baanbrekende reis door een historie én een toekomst van jazz, funk, rock, en psychedelia. En alhoewel ik de elektronische afslag van jazz naar fusion lang niet altijd kan waarderen, is dit gewoon een draaiboek voor zoveel gewaagde en 'outside the box thinking' muziek acts die volgden. Waar 'Head Hunters' van Herbie een jaar of 3 later al klonk als een raketlancering naar een planeet lichtjaren verwijderd van de onze, had die futuristische reis nooit plaats kunnen vinden zonder de creatieve brandstof van 'Bitches Brew'. Zijn status mag duidelijk zijn, als leidraad in de toekomst van het jazz-genre, als nieuwe standaard in post-productie en engineering technieken, en als een expositie van tal van virtuozen die allen pioniers werden in allerlei cross-over stijlen. Bespeel je een instrument, en ben je op zoek naar inspiratie, zet dan dit album aan en huiver hoe een Chick Corea de piano eigen maakt, een Wayne Shorter de saxofoon laat spreken, en een John McLaughlin tig duizelingwekkende gitaarsolo's uit z'n mouw schudt. Maar ik ben geen muzikant, en ik let dus ook vooral op of de muziek in z'n geheel indruk maakt of zorgt voor een plezierige ervaring. Dat eerste doet het zeker, het tweede hier en daar wel wat minder. Zoals ik al zei kan veel rock-infused jazz me niet echt bekoren, en dat is nou net waar we mee te dealen hebben op 'Bitches Brew'. En met fases waarin het soms tien minuten lang aan één stuk door ploeteren was door geïmproviseerde elektrische jazzrock, is het altijd een uitdagende ervaring.. op z'n zachtst gezegd. Maar het werk is - in lijn met de positieve sidenote bij het turbulente 'Trout Mask Replica' - wel ontzettend catchy. Niet 'Duran Duran catchy', maar wel de 'onaardse geluiden uit de trompet van Miles, zenuwachtige tempowisselingen, en 2 drumstellen, 3 piano's en 4 gitaren catchy'. Ik hou van muziek van Isaac Hayes, Barry White of Chic, waar de groove echt op een presenteerblaadje ter consumptie wordt aangeboden, maar soms is het vermakelijk om de uitdaging aan te gaan om de groove zelf onder een dik pak aan duistere, chaotische en vaak oncomfortabele sounds vandaan te halen. 'Bitches Brew' is zo'n brouwsel waarin fantastische grooves zitten, maar het vraagt wat doorzettingsvermogen om ze er uit te halen. Maar elke luisterbeurt hoor je er weer eentje meer, en dat geeft een hoop voldoening. Waar de chaos der instrumenten bij 'Trout Mask' voortkwam uit een bewuste strijd tussen de bandleden, kun je de spanning in 'Bitches Brew' meer zien als een rap battle waarin de ene muzikant de andere naar een nog hoger niveau pusht. Een paar van die verborgen grooves zijn te spotten op de tweede CD, wat de geduldige luisteraar beloond. Gezien de streams op Spotify keldert het aantal luisteraars exponentieel vanaf track 1, wat wel aangeeft dat het een taaie kluif is. Ik kan me daar volledig in vinden. Maar songs als 'Spanish Key' glijden langzaamaan in een smerige groove, wat op de tweede helft van het nummer te horen is. Wat meer obvious is de funk in 'Miles Runs the Voodoo Down', wat voor mij het muzikale hoogtepunt van het album is. Iets minder rock, iets meer jazz-funk. Maar dit zijn van die parels onder in het griezelige scheepswrak, waar de meeste duikers niet meer bij komen op één zuurstoffles. De luchtvoorraad in je longen - en daarmee ook in je hersenpan - zit er al aardig doorheen na 'Pharaoh's Dance' en de titelsong. De all-consuming opener vind ik zelf wel één van de sterkste songs op het album, en de kakofonie aan geluiden die ook vaak in de weg zit op de rest van het album, spreekt me hier nog wel aan. De Egyptische ritmes en fluitjes in een futuristisch jasje gestoken zoals Sun Ra dat in z'n beste jaren deed. Het levert een extatisch werkje op, waar Toetanchamon van recht op in z'n sarcofaag gaat zitten. De titelsong stelt de iconische sound uit de trompet van Miles als geen ander nummer tentoon, maar ik heb niet echt het idee dat het nummer ergens heen gaat. De groove is nog niet ontdekt, zeg maar. Dus even op een rijtje; het album duurt echt té lang, überhaupt, maar ook zeker voor iemand die elektrische jazz niet echt goed trekt. En laat het nou net muziek zijn waarbij geduld een schone zaak is. De kracht van deze plaat is direct z'n valkuil, het vraagt om een ijverige luisteraar die wordt beloond nadat hij steeds dieper het drijfzand in wordt getrokken. Het zorgt voor een interactieve luisterbeurt, zoals niet veel platen dat kunnen bieden. Maar door zijn lengte vraagt het gewoon te veel energie om het echt goed op waarde te kunnen schatten. Ik doe m'n best, meer kan ik niet doen. Maar die paar ontlede grooves zijn het toch ook wel weer waard. En de productie is gewoon verbluffend, ondanks de hier en daar onprettige geluiden klinkt alles zo clean en scherp. Wellicht maakt dat het ook wel zo oncomfortabel. PS: Was deze review óf het album een taaiere kluif? 8/10 Highlights: Pharaoh's Dance Spanish Key Miles Runs the Voodoo Down

3.5/5

This is a long album made up of long songs. My contempt for jazz cannot be overstated, but Miles Davis has often been a weird exception to that. The vibey-ness of this record makes it a super compelling listen, even when the songs aren’t totally connecting with me on a melodic level.

This one was fun

Mesmerising, hypnotic, a rich brew of sounds and rhythms. A really great assembly of virtuoso musicians laying down some radical tunes. It is a long album, and if you listen in one sitting the songs can start to blur into each other. For this reason I don't think it is quite up there with its predecessor In A Silent Way. Nevertheless a landmark album and well worth anyone's time

Love this 4