Bitches Brew

I can't quite decide if this is a masterpiece or unbearable. Or maybe just an unbearable masterpiece. I tried listening while I was doing some work and found that it would absolutely not let me concentrate on anything else. It would not allow itself to meld into the background. So it took me forever to listen to, and I definitely felt fatigue as it went. It kind of made me feel anxious to try to just sit and listen to its endless musical rambling. But I also felt some sublime moments! For sure!

Very groovy jazz! No wonder I had heard of this album even before I realized how I like jazz. Turned my day into a wildly colored wonderland. Parts were a bit challenging for me, but I kind of expected that. I’m glad that this project has put jazz within my reach.

Incredible for all the reasons so many better critics and musicians have written about before. Unless you are an afficionado though this is a challenge to listen to. Worth it for sure, but certainly not a casual little album.

Jazz is stupid

This is clearly objectively amazing stuff. I probably wouldn't choose to listen to such long-form music on the daily, but it was an epic journey for sure. Favourite tracks: Pharaoh's Dance, Miles Runs the Voodoo Down, Feio.

You know, this is still a good album, but to be honest, it doesn’t quite reach 5 stars for me. It doesn’t have the same ubiquity or enjoyment of Kind Of Blue, or my personal favorite, In A Silent Way, for that matter (I’ll be getting that later). Still, it’s a weird album that I enjoyed listening to for this.

miles, miles, miles. so good.

It’s Miles Davis, his albums have strong personalities of jazz, which I’m fond of. bitches brew seems to be more blunt, less lighthearted than his other albums which helps it stand out. 4.0

Important and must listen? Yes. Do I like it? Well I didn’t. When I heard it many years back (after hearing return to forever, weather report, mahavishnu orchestra, steely dan etc) I found it drab and dull. Maybe I’ve grown into it. Maybe I was wrong then. Maybe I’m old. But I enjoyed it now more than I did. I also have a nagging feeling that Miles is overrated slightly. And I acknowledge that that is not a widely held belief. I also find his ubiquitous influence baffling. It’s only recently that jazz bands have moved away from trying to sound like miles. I don’t resent the influence nor do I think it all bad but I think he inadvertently held jazz back for decades by all of those trying to sound like him. Instead of learning his lesson (find your voice and express that) they copied. So the audience got bored.* This is not Miles’s fault any more than endless pointless wailing on guitars is Eddie van halen’s fault, or tortured wordplay with no craftsmanship is Dylan’s. But jazz players should know better. The whole history of jazz is innovation. I’m pretty sure miles has the most impressive alumni of any bandleader. And the bands that came out of this album alone… who didn’t sound like miles. 5 stars because of its influence. Take that away and think I’d have given it 2 when I was 20. But 3.5 now. Maybe I’ve gone senile. *of course there are honourable and notable exceptions. But those who complained that jazz didn’t progress had somewhat of a point.

It wasn’t until last year, when I picked up a vinyl copy of this album that I became familiar with it. Ever since I found a second-hand copy of In A Silent Way (1970) sometime in the 70’s, it is still the Miles Davis fusion album that I’ve enjoyed most & the album that preceded Bitches Brew. It was the album that marked Davis’s move to using electric instruments. It was also very influential - Santana’s Caravanserai (1972) & the album Carlos Santana did with John McLaughlin, Love Devotion Surrender, were both incredibly influenced by In A Silent Way. McLaughlin was still in Miles’s band when Bitches Brew was recorded, but there’s none of the subtlety of In A Silent Way. Bitches Brew sounds less structured & more like a series of jams. Not sure why it opens with Pharaoh’s Dance, which I find too loose & just a bit noisy. However, the title track, running for almost half an hour, is totally engaging & the second record is also a winner. Funny that the track John McLaughlin is the only track on the album that Miles sits out. I saw McLaughlin in 1979 at Newtown’s Elizabethan Theatre. I know the violinist L.Shankar was in the band, so it was probably the One Truth Band. They released their only album that year & McLaughlin included a song entitled Miles Davis, retuning the favour Miles had paid him on Bitches Brew.

could i write poetry to this? n

Amazing album! Great after some grass especially

Not quite what I would have expected from Miles Davis in my mind, but I still enjoyed the groovy background music it provided.

Can't tell if I really liked this just to spite my friends after they said to skip all jazz or not, but it made cooking a blast. So interesting when you give it full attention and don't get mad when it's abrupt or chaotic or nonsensical or any other jazz hater descriptor

3.75

I had heard this a while ago but was not ready for it. Years later, my time spent listening to jam bands and a wider range of jazz has prepared me for this moment. I tend to find it helpful to think about jazz albums as just a bunch of great musicians jamming instead of the way I look at rock or pop albums and then I get less frustrated with how different or inaccessible it may be. \"Spanish Key\" was a highlight for me and \"Miles Runs the Voodoo Down\" was just killer

Buena música

3.6/5 Sorry, but the best jazz in the world still sounds like boring background music to me. Best Track: (they all sound the same)

Gigantisch parra album. Disc 1 is enkel geschikt voor specifieke momenten.

4.5

Intense Jazz

A study in improvisation an sound painting. Interesting in it’s cultural context, but it has somehow lost its relevance. Also a little taxing in the long run.

Jazzy!

I know I’m going to love this album even more with each listen. What a fucking album. Everything sounds so crisp, the grooves are dynamic and there are so many rememberable parts in each song. And for it being almost 2 hours my god it progressed so well and the songs never stagnate, so rich with ideas. It’s a 4 as of now as im still getting familiar with it but im so excited to give it repeated listens.

Miles runs the voodoo down is a fav so far. I think so anyway. Not like I can remember all that’s come before it! Bitches Brew was cool I think! But spooky towards the end. Hopefully in the future I’ll look back and say that I didn’t know enough about jazz to get everything out of this album. I look forward to that. In the meantime, I did really enjoy it though I cant say I wasn’t glad to have finished it - it is bloody long.

Such lovely jazz!

Top notch jazz fusion psychedelia

Super vet

4/5. Had it. Love it

I like this era of MD but do feel it sprawls and is less focused that 'In a Silent Way' Its still pretty magical though.

Great album, very experimental, listened through all 106+ min and again first 2 tracks. One worth a revisit soon. 4.4/5

A musical experience that only Miles Davis and his band — an amazing ensemble — could pull off. This isn’t an album I could listen to all the time but it’s one that I will groove to if I’m in one sitting and want something to focus on.

I don’t normally listen to Jazz but it’s something I can vibe with

A strange experience. Melodies emerge from chaos, grooves underpin mayhem and suddenly you're whistling something despite the dissonance it's being played against. Bitches Brew is a challenging listen, though remaining pleasant if you're adventurous. Unlike Trout Mask Replica, I still have faith that other people do enjoy this -- as do I. I'm not a jazz nerd (just every other kind), so I can only marvel at the swirling maelstrom of sound and how the band pulls it together. The record seems determined to test the limits of how rule-breaking a song can become while still being compelling and enjoyable. Ultimately, though, it is compelling and enjoyable. It asks much of the listener, but rewards just as much. Must listen.

i’ll be honest, i have never rly attempted to get into jazz before so this was pretty much my first serious venture. went extremely hard, but i definitely feel like i’d need to run it back a few more times before i’d truly be able to Get It. also probably would have had a more enriching experience if i had chosen to listen to it during a time that i could actually focus on everything going on instead of on emailing custies but. still very awesome!

ive loved jazz for years but i will admit i am not a great example of a jazz fan bc i love me some serene quiet moody jazz. so as u can imagine disc 1 kinda stresses me out, disc 2 im obsessed with. sanctuary is SOOO good it has such a good build up, 100% my favorite off of this one. also i keep rating these albums 4s but the more albums i listen to the more i wish i could go back and change my other ratings D:<

vibes established. it's difficult as someone who rarely listens to jazz to know how to rate this. it should probably be higher in terms of like, HISTORY, but for me i'd say it's very enjoyable but not my favorite thing. for me personally it's maybe more like a 3.5 but that feels wrong so 4 🌟

we love you miles davis we love you jazz we love you taehyung

So experimental, so new, so above its time. Miles really was pushing the envelope with the new sonic scapes found In A Silent Way and explored further here. Certainly a controversial album for the time, but its influence is still found today. Definitely not as much as the previous album.

Now that's jazz, baby! This is what outer space sounds like.

I'm not a fan or particularly knowledgeable of jazz. I thought this was pretty good and gave it four stars based on reading about it's importance.

I used to love this stuff but now it just hurts. It's brilliant but it's so angry, stressed, and unhappy.

I think the same arguments that I made against Hot Rats could be levied against Bitches Brew, but personally I like it much better.

Kolmosen ja nelosen välis…

Tytötkin panee

Listened to this many a time before. Great record all around.

tururururururue

Odyssey. Chaotic and challenging. Jazz-fusion is a cool sounding name for a genre and is also cool-sounding. Music for getting lost in imaginary oceans, caves and mountains

above my paygrade? I like miles, my favorites are "working" then "kind of blue" and "relaxin", I liked the album but it didn't hit me like the others, I've seen this album recieve great appraisal, so my guess is I don't understand the greatness.

Two hours of some of the best jazz ever created. It is two hours though.

Funky jazz

Not bad. I’m not all about jazz but liked thus

Cool vibes

Nice

God Damn.

I've only ever listened to jazz like this live. I think that's my preferred way to hear it. I like to watch the musicians and see how they feel the music they’re playing. Usually, you end up applauding various moments in the set. Since that’s how I’m used to hearing music like this, I missed that while listening at my desk. It's Miles Davis so it's great music, and it was fine playing in the background while I work. But I definitely connect better to jazz in a live setting. However, I know I’ve heard the 2nd half of the title track before. It immediately sounded familiar. I think it was featured in a ballet I saw recently. So dramatic! And this cover art is gorgeous!

Not a fan of the fact that all but one song on this album are over 10 minutes long, but this is apparently a really good jazz album and Fantano gave it a 10 so I will allow it this time. This is like J A Z Z. It is what most people would think of when you say jazz probably. Its chaotic and experimental at times, and does some really cool stuff that is definitely super ahead of its time. I wouldn't add any one of these songs to a playlist based on sheer length of the song, and because it is just so out there, but this is still really good. A low 4/5

Took two listens to appreciate this one

I've listened to this one before. It's too improvisational for my taste but it grows on you the more you listen. Didn't mind hearing it again.

Miles goes electric - love this. The instrumentals, the production, the mix. Miles is truly one of a kind.

I can’t say for sure they weren’t making it up as they go. Pretty incredible. Can you imagine being the guy on the triangles. Man I get to shine in 25 minutes.

lost track of how many times i’ve tried to play through this record and fallen asleep partway. thanks for the free ride, davis. love and respect the music.

Chaotic, messy, rapturous soundscapes. Definitely get how innovative this was when it dropped; compared to In a Silent Way this feels several clicks beyond what it was going for. Not a listen I fully love or would return to much (I think), but very interesting and important. Best song: Sanctuary

This was a weird listen, but interesting. Not a conventional jazz recording. Bitches Brew was aptly titled. Groovy is a word I could use to describe the overall sound of this album. You can tell it was 1970. 3.7/5

4.75

Many trips through this album and I’m still hearing new things.

Angry Miles. Good Miles.

Contains some of the best music I've ever heard, also contains over-indulgent plinkplonk jazz excess. My least favourite of the classic electric miles era

It was good. 8.5/10

This was good. A bit "out there" for my tastes, but enjoyed it. Solid 👍

Easy to listen to and enjoy!

Cool and moody, think-y and baleful – in other words, a near perfect mirror of its creator temperament. Not especially tuneful, and certainly it’s not Kind of Blue (or even In a Silent Way), but shares with those classics a sort of heady melange that only Miles could muster. It's alchemy basically, with a studied, Rorhschacian neutrality that asks the listener to consider both emotional and intellectual reactions. One’s glad all the stoner kids bought in sufficiently to this landmark of edgy exploration to make Miles “relevant” again (whatever it takes).

Haven’t listened to this for quite a while, and it’s a pretty overwhelming project. It’s a slow burn and requires some patience for me to really appreciate (definitely not something I can stick on at any time) but has a lot of great moments and is just very impressive, a landmark record for sure

Some really cool bits in this. More of a mood than sound at times.

Very experimental but Miles is always able to somehow pull this craziness off. Not sure I like it as much as some of his more standard stuff, but it was still very impressive.

Miles Davis at his most metal.

Tof jazzplaatje

As i expected , amazing improvisation, good use of instruments

It’s clear that this is a groundbreaking album. Miles Davis is extremely skilled and this is an engaging album. I can appreciate all of that but it doesn’t get 5 stars from me because I don’t think I could listen to this every day.

i like this

Bad Word Brew

Good jazz.

The fusion tracks inspired by psycheldelic rock and soul are very fun and novel. Some of the other tracks drag on a bit, though.

Solid early morning listen.

The chaos cuts have evident enough characters; The format is the weirdest thing. Miles did something new, fair enough, with not quite a sequence, not quite a session. That, that and the edits, can only be expected to show up years and ears in.

not into jazz but this is wild.

I recognise that it's just not for me. My first Miles album of the list and I dont know what I think of it. Maybe I need more time with it, but I can realise its good, without really loving it. It's like being in a car crash, and every one of your senses is being violated. Definitely not bad though. 13/03/23

Not a big jazz guy but I liked this overall. A bit long and overly meandering at times but I like the fusion between jazz and rock. I can appreciate how much of a landmark album this is. 4 stars.

man, i find it difficult to appreciate this only listening to it. But it brings so much flow when i was reading. So it's a 4.5

I bet the Tàr character Cate Blanchett plays tells everyone this is her favorite Miles Davis album, even though she's probably never bothered listening to it.

This album is awesome but its too wacky for me to like it as much as other davis releases. I still respect it though

This one's apparently really divisive among the generator audience, but suits my ADHD brain just fine. I think for me it's like... 4/5 for musical enjoyment (at the end of the day, I liked "In A Silent Way" more), 5/5 for interesting production story, 7/5 for album art.

First album I've put on and then hit play again as soon as it finished. This is deep. I've listened to Kind of Blue quite a few times and never really been moved, but Bitches Brew is a far more interesting beast. Jazz is not my thing at all, but this thing somehow floats my boat. At times it sounds like 5 songs at once but then all comes back into a single stream of brilliance. Unexpected 4 stars for me.

Best headache ever. 8/10 Fave: sanctuary

Nice. I love the way of featuring the guitar and organ. Would have been 5 stars if it stopt a little sooner, because after a while I got a bit overwhelmed with all the stuff that's happening.

Just very good jazz

Awesome, I really dig this. Jazz all the way, baby.

It’s a bit tough to get into but it opens up after the first track into something really lovely.

The more discordant it gets, the more I like it. Particularly like when the trumpet punches in.

One bottle of carmenre, one pair of your favourite jammies, one cheese board with side of olives and grapes, one open fire well stoked to roast your nuts, one table lamp setting a dusky scene, one cumfy sofa to stretch out on, one Miles Davis album of chill jazz... close eyes and relax, (try not to think of Ron Burgandy on jazz flute scene)

I liked this and i,m not even a jazz fun. That's the point of discovery new music Sit and listen complain later. 4

Just ride it.

Very cool - but fairly impenetrable so will need several listens.

Well, that was long. I‘ve sat through this before, with similar results: I lose focus and my mind wanders away from the music. The music is great, but it’s just too much for too long. Certainly the brilliance is there, but my attention is not. Is it a 5? Probably, due to the pivotal influence the recording has had on jazz and rock music. But because I hit a jazz fatigue point about a quarter of the way into each of the pieces, I have to drop it to a 4.

I can't be Uber pretentious about Miles. A genius? Perhaps. Do I enjoy listening to this? No. Do I appreciate this? Yes. Will I be sticking to Sketches of Spain for my Miles fix? Also yes.

Although an absolute classic I just wasn't in the mood for jazz tonight. It's still an amazing album though

A JazZ Mastro at his Zenith with an amazing line up in support

Pretty good but long.

very good though i'm not so used to jazz so i couldn't fully understand what was happening

I still don't really know enough to describe or even critique this "properly", but I do know I enjoyed it, and appreciated the talent of the musicians involved.

Still don’t know how to rate jazz but I would say I liked this. I usually can’t stand albums as long as this but I didn’t really mind it. Maybe because of the freeform nature of it, I don’t know. Not sure if I would listen to it again though

I like Miles Davis, good album.

4.5/5. According to Patrick Star, to be a man means to acquire a taste for free form jazz. I am a man.

Remarkable! I always read about him being avant garde and pushing the genre to new territories, but hearing it made me think about what a shock this sound must have been to the jazz world.

listened to again one of his greatest bodies of work

Some great jazz but too long of an album

Crazy dark, lots of space left on this record. Very eerie and jagged. Favorite track: "Bitches Brew"

More rock influences in this album. Enjoyed it!

有点惊悚的味道

Joo tän platan kohdalla ollaan kyllä tultu hiivatin kauas cool -aikakaudesta. Ei välttämättä huono suunta tämäkään, mutta oon enemmän sen kuuskytluvun alun diggari. Tää on tällästä jotenki transsista pörinää ja pärinää mikä on kyl hienoo. Vaatii aikaa kuunnella. Ei helppoa taustamusaa mutta hyvää musaa silti! 4/5

Olipas jees. Odotin jotain hc jazzia, mutta täähän groovas mukavasti. Tosi kova. 4+

Quite the moody musical album. I give it a 7/10.

A bit of a chaotic mess at times, but Miles Davis makes that work. Somehow a bit too long and a bit too all over the place to compete for top spot with his other albums on this list.

Bitches Brew. This is classic album that changed the face of music. Miles took the rock and funk influences (courtesy of Betty Davis) and turned it into a new thing that nobody else could have imagined. I find this album hypnotic, but hard to love. It's a pretty challenging listen, but easy to respect. It's a borderline for five stars, but, given that I prefer On The Corner, this is nearly, but not quite, perfect. Call it 4.8, maybe.

Pretty good

I've neve entirely understood the "jazz-rock" tag applied to this album, cos it doesn't really sound much like rock as most people would've understood it in 1970, and actually more like jazz than most people probably thought it did then too. Great stuff either way, of course, although it is nearly impossible to really love; it's dense and abstract and murky, and in some ways it's fantastically grim in its kind of unrelenting seriousness. Not even remotely easy listening.

jada

I've listened to Bitches Brew at least once before, because this album is a significant entry in the world of jazz music and I am relatively ignorant of jazz. I'm still fairly ignorant of jazz, but this album drawns me in deeper regularly throughout. I do get a little lost occasionally, but my curiousity about the album remains. I might come back for a second listen just to see what I've missed. "Spanish Key" and "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" are the tracks I rated the highest.

One of those albums I can appreciate is a masterpiece but don’t get much personal enjoyment out of it. Prefer miles more accessible music.

Virkilega solid fjarki. Hár fjarki jafnvel. Þung og tormelt a köflum og ekki fyrir alla daga. En þó ennþá ekki alveg komin í full on free jazz eða algjörlega an strúkturs. Frábær blanda.

Rússíbani

Interstellar

Un dels discos que apropa el jazz a altres sons populars com el rock i el funk. Potser el millor de tots ells. Amb Miles Davis encetant una altra de les seves revisions de la música moderna i una portada per la història

Yes.

Gigantic and hypnotic, a bit tiring but definitely worth the listen

Claaaaaasssic… + ja känner att ja ha vari lite för generös me mina fyror…. Kanske bara jag….

lit. swag

A world appart. Classic jazz album that make you travel into deep area of your brain. A bit long but still satisfying.

Very mysterious and chaotic. Sometimes in a soothing way but more often worrysome. Reminded me of the show Preacher, whenever there were a scene when god was present the music would be ominous and dense in layers of instruments clashing as they play. An enjoyable listen and definitly creates a scene in your mind.

storms a brewin’ ⛈

I've never heard this iconic album until today. I have heard, own and love In A Silent Way. Bitches Brew is very much cut from the same cloth. The atmosphere, the feel, the playing is so similar to In a Silent Way that it sounds like they were both taken from the same studio sessions. Do I like it as much? not yet. Will I? maybe. I'm tempted to give it 5 stars which is how I will rate IASW, but it's too new in my listening life so 4.5 🌟

This is the definition of experimental. The feelings it produces in me are denial and quench. I did not enjoy these 90 minutes, but I very much respect the musicianship that I could never hope to understand. I am not sure what it is, music or transcendent experimentation, but it sure is something. 3 but my musician friend would kill me if I gave it anything less than a 4, and it was ok studying to too.

This is A LOT. And I feel like I need to listen to it in my dad's basement with the good speakers and a glass of whiskey to fully appreciate it.

What a fusion of fresh jazz music this album is! I don’t think I need to point out Miles Davis’ genius in creating a new genre of music out of the blue, but I will. One of my all time favourite jazz albums. Thanks for arranging this on Christmas Eve!

8/10. Fantastic, but a little hard to get through as someone who doesn’t listen to this style very much

8/10. Good, but so damn long. I don't think I'd listen to this in one sitting again, though it would be a nice background.

Cool but minus points for being really long and not super engaging. 7/10

Jazzy

it's just too long, really

Hell yeah! I mean, its very jazzy jazz and it all blurs together, but it's all very good. It's too long to be accessible, but you can hear Davis doing his craft. Good - All of it? Art - Powerful imagery, even if it looks like a bad fantasy cover from a pulp magazine. The blending of different environments and the melting of borders prepares you for the flow of the album.

Nothing bad to say about this. Classic jazz record. Will revisit when I’m in the mood. Docking one star based on my personal taste.

Overall very solid, a good vibe throughout

Great, but hoping 'kind of blue' is on here too

Kinda feels like a predecessor to a lot of other avant-garde genres like noise rock and ambient. I don’t usually like stuff like that but I think the fact that this project uses classical instruments makes it easier for me to get into. The only problem is that it’s too long. I like it more than I remember liking kind of blue but I doubt I’d come back to it often

Rating: 7/10

Tumultuous

Magic. Sparkles of light energy onto a ribbon of sound unfolding. Like a play. Journey and consciousness.

Irres Album, das die persönlich wahrnehmbare Zeit seltsam verändert. Hatte es auf einer stressigen Stau Fahrt gehört (1,5 Male !!!) und dabei noch gedacht "wtf am I doing here?!" Jazz zum Stress verhält sich ja eher ernervierend also verstärkend, aber manchmal ist wie beim inner turmoil bei Coltrane so gut vom eigenem Furor aufgefangen wie das hibbelige und ungeduldige Wesen im vielschichtigem Spiel Davis'. Tolle Kombo auch und starke Gitarren-Parts. Als würde die aggressive Faust aufs vorauseilend bläuende Auge passen. Wie schreibt man solche Musik? Irre schön-kitschiges Cover zudem für irre schön-kitschige 3.8

Just recently listened to this for the first time and made me realize that actually like jazz

Sprawling and expansive, with musicians at the peak of their game. I think this still sounds startlingly modern, and it birthed whole subgenres whose best exponents haven't ever quite reached these heights. Whether you like this or not boils down to your tolerance of jazz fusion, I suppose - I reckon this would alienate the casual listener.

A fascinating listen. Innovative. I don't think it really stuck with me but I definitely respect jazz/fusion. Might take some time before I truly appreciate this stuff.

Admittedly a but too involved and complicated to be an easy listen for background music, but for a jazz fan this is a great one. The guitar really elevates the album while making it distinct from other Davis stuff.

Spodziewalem sie ze uszlysze pana Davisa jeszcze na liscie, ale nie sadzilem, ze bedzie to tak szybkie spotkanie, a dodatkowo, ze bedzie to material z tego samego okresu, bo Bitches Brew zostala nagrana zaledwie pol roku po wypuszczeniu In a Silent Way, wiec jest to ten sam elektroniczny okres Davisowania, ale pomysl na material jest wyraznie inny, nie ma tutaj przepieszczenia materialu overdubem, a kawalki byly tworzone przez laczenie osobno nagrywanych partow, bo tak jak na poprzedniej plycie sa to potezne formy muzyczne ponad dwudziestominutowe na pierwszych dwoch stronach, a oscylujacych w graniach dziesieciu na dwoch kolejnych, bo jest to podwojny album o lacznym czasie 94 minut, wiec jest to sroga dawka jazzowania, jesli chodzi o styl plyty, to tak jak na poprzednim materiale Miles oddalil sie od klasycznych jazzowych rytmow na rzecz luznych aranzacji inspirowanych rockiem do czego wykorzystal elektryki, zarowno klawisze jak i gitary, czy nawet basy, ale w odroznieniu od silent waya album jest o wiele bardziej oparty na improwizacji, przez co czulem sie jakbym sluchal bardziej Coltrana niz Davisa, jesli chodzi o kompozycje, 90 minut materialu to i featury na takim projekcie musza byc bogate, a najwazniejszymi postaciami beda tam Zawinul na klawiszach i Wayne Shorter na saksie, ten pierwszy jest odpowiedzialny za kompozycje Pharaoh's Dance, drugi natomiast za Feio i Sanctuary, bylem sceptycznie nastawiony przed odsluchem, ale ciesze sie, ze moglem posluchac tak szybko Davisa z tak mocnym materialem, na plejke leci traczek tytulowy oraz Miles Runs the Voodoo Down, no i znowu wypada napisac, ze Davis jeszcze bedzie sluchany, ale tym razem juz na pewno beda to raczej starsze materialy

great jazz, very timeless

Bitches Brew I am familiar with. I have always loved side 2 more than side 1. The record was one of the first true jazz records I spent any real quality time with. I wish I could remember the name of my History of Jazz professor because he is the one that introduced me to Miles, and so many more.

This was a challenging listen. Jazz is not normally my main squeeze but I did enjoy it knowing how influential it was to artists that I love

Rock-Jazz or Jazz-Rock? I have never heard some of these sounds before.

I've never heard this iconic album until today. I have heard, own and love In A Silent Way. Bitches Brew is very much cut from the same cloth. The atmosphere, the feel, the playing is so similar to In a Silent Way that it sounds like they were both taken from the same studio sessions. Do I like it as much? not yet. Will I? maybe. I'm tempted to give it 5 stars which is how I will rate IASW, but it's too new in my listening life so 4.5 🌟

I dig it

“Bitches Brew” by Miles Davis (1970) You’ll have to set aside some time to listen to this 94-minute smorgasbord of experimental jazz, influenced by rock and electronic effects. These six instrumental tracks average over 16 minutes each (The expressionistic “Feio” was not on the original double LP release). They are intricate improvisational compositions, each one involving contributions from ten or more musicians, frequently doubling bass lines (electric and double bass), two electric pianos, and two drum sets. The doubling of these instruments is widely (and helpfully) separated into left and right stereo channels. The greatest level of complexity here is in the rhythm section. This is not just ‘cool trumpet music’. To the listener who is not familiar with jazz, this album will seem to be rather inaccessible. But it has definite rhythmic structure. Stay grounded to snare and cymbals and you won’t lose your way. It’s clear from the horn solos that they are not following a rigid plan. Some minor flubs (a couple in the control booth!) are nicely ironed out. I don’t imagine there were any second takes. What I’d really like to hear is a recording of Davis’ directions to the group immediately prior to the rolling of the tape machines. One of the more fascinating aspects of these sessions (recorded over three days) is that the musicians rarely step all over each other, even when they’re all on board. They work as a team, even through changes in dynamic level and mood. Each musician knows intuitively when to lay back, when to throw in his unique spice, and when to stride in and just plain take over, dammit. My mom would’ve called this ‘noise’. My dad would’ve smiled and leaned back in the recliner. With a cigar. 4/5

Weird but in a good way - not quite the classic jazz. 7/10.

Trippy as fuck

Some real avant-garde jazz here. Also exhibit A of “Miles Davis on drugs.” Some of the grooves the group gets into here are incredible, but some parts are definitely spent trying to find it.

I had a hard time actively listening, but enjoyed a lot as background music. Will listen again.

First jazz album. Can't judge much. But was quite a good listen.

I'm ignorant in jazz but this is groovy and cool - I LIKE it! Definitely a nuanced and expressive colorful blob of music

Didn't listen to the whole album, but I really enjoyed the vibes. I love the clarity of the trumpet and definitely want to listen to the full album. Makes excellent background music.

Always a fan of Miles Davis. Definitely not for everyone, but that's alright.

The famous Miles Davis album, though very avanguardistic and not an easy listen all in all, but age definitive nevertheless.

Great album to viiiiiiibe to

This album is a perfect encapsulation of what makes Miles Davis work. There is a base of experimental jazz that is always in danger of a loud trumpet crashing through it to refocus all attention on it.

Bitches Brew is such a trip, I'm definitely gonna have to take a deeper dive into this one (maybe in a pitch black room, laying on the floor haha). Much heavier and rock-focused than what I'm used to from Miles Davis, incredible set of players on this one. 4.5/5

Can appreciate, but could not focus on anything else, so I guess that's a positive for the album?

I quite like how much chaos is going on w so many different instruments playing at the same time and how good the jamming sounds. I had a problem with Mingus'  album due to its chaos but the chaos on this one works for me. 

Quality, I like jazz i find it fascinating because the musicianship is ridiculous. Its stupidly long though, halve it and im looking at a 5*

Not my first pass; I'll be curious to see if there is more Miles down the road. Not my starting point if someone requested recs for MD. That being said; classic and must listen (duh).

Not in general my genre... I enjoyed the album, especially the parts that highlighted his trumpet. But it’s so much you kind of get lost in it. I’m between 3 and 4 but I’ll go 4 just cause it’s Miles Davis

First couple tracks were great, then it gets to B-Side, drug infused, experimental jazz. Got to be in that mood for that, but I still liked it.

Oh boy, if there ever was a polarizing album... Fans of his earlier phases, Be-bop, Hard-bop and Modal will probably hate this. But what you have to respect about Miles is that he's always pushing the boundaries and charting new territory, too bad if its out of your comfort zone. Get uncomfortable mofos! I think this would have been a cracker single album but it drags a bit as a double, so I would give it a 3 +1 for its influence on jazz/rock fusion and just because Miles is the OG badass mofo. If you like this check out the album Miles from India, a compilation of Miles' music mostly performed by excellent Indian musicians.

It's jazz bro

Nice and relaxing/ Trumpets out of 5

Late period Miles Davis is hit or miss for a lot of folks. But boy do I love it. It's jazz full of the Psychedelic movement, trance like. Like New York City late in the evening. Alive. Kinetic.

Sin ser ni cerca de experto en Miles Davis si sabía un par de cosas; sé que toda su música inicial me ha gustado mucho, desde los 50s hasta cerca de los 70s y que después de un tiempo hizo música que ya se vuelve demasiado extraña, con mucho electrónico, sin la chispa que tuvo antes y muchísimo más confusa. No sabía en qué rubro cae este disco y extrañamente cae casi a la mitad; ya no es bop deconstruido como al inicio pero tampoco es ese jazz fusión feo del final. Lo que queda aquí es algo muy interesante, es tomar a algunos de los mejores músicos de su época (por cierto Chick Corea acaba de morir si no lo conocen busquen algo de él daba lecturas y clases y es muy interesante verlo hablar para entender muchas cosas de jazz), crear una combinación perfecta de instrumentos y alimentarles lo mínimo, dar solo un ritmo, acorde, alguna progresión, ni siquiera llegar a una melodía central y dejar improvisar, lo que se diría dar un "groove" y dejar que cada músico halle a dónde va a ir confiando unos en otros. El resultado a mi punto de vista es brillante, todo fluye y es literalmente sentarse a ver como se crea un disco y una canción de la nada, sentir cómo la música se desdobla y se va acomodando. Es un lugar en el que los géneros se fueron por la borda y se hace un sonido realmente único. Quizá el pero que se le puede poner es que es masivo. Más de 90 minutos puede sonar pesado pero a mi parecer vale la pena agarrar una bebida y aplastarte ese rato en paz y dejarte llevar.

at the start i thought this was pushing the boundaries of my ability to appreciate jazz, but the longer it goes the easier it is to settle in.

I first heard this a long time ago after getting it from the Rochester Public Library - I was trying to learn more about Miles Davis at the time, and I wasn't ready for how vast and varied his catalog is. Maybe a decade later, I appreciate this album more.

Weird and fantastic

Shit is wild and all over the place. I love it

Yeaah I knew the album already, really good. Experimental af tho

Definitely well-known and iconic in modern Jazz. An intimidating album, I can't say I have the background to fully appreciate it. It's likely a 5 but enjoyment (and understanding) for me is a 4. Some bold play here. Might be the only trumpet I've ever heard with echo/delay. It also sounds like a lot of this was spliced together from many cuts, but I would have never guessed that, seems like a complete one-take to me.

great bgm - C

Pretty sweet tracks actually. Very long and often very meandering and esoteric, but all good ambiance.

Really cool but I'm too dumb to appreciate jazz in a way that isn't just "background music"

Only listened to half. It was a crazy experience hearing miles Davis doing something so abstract and psychedelic.

Shit man, this was an experience. From the getgo it takes you someplace else entirely.

there's so much jazz and it's so long and I vibe with none of it sorry :(

the songs are really fricking long 😂 they are all saxophone and stuff

I feel bad for you if you don't get this album.

Beautiful listen

Jazz fusion! Rockigt med el-gitarrer och väldigt experimentellt.

pleasant background music ig some songs are way way too long 3 only listened to disk 2, didn't finish disk 1

I enjoyed this, but didn't find it very conducive to working on spreadsheets.

The cover art is clearly set in the daytime, but I feel like this music is better in the dark somehow, where it can envelop me. I like Bennie Maupin's bass clarinet quite a bit, especially in the title song.

Nice to listen to while doing something else

Enjoyed that, felt like a big jam session. Album artwork top notch also 👌

jazz experimental? to dentro!! ps: a capa desse album é belissima

I want to like this album so bad but I don't. I remember checking it out when I first got into jazz fusion in the 90's and it didn't click for me back then and it still doesn't now. Give me something to latch on to... a groove, a repeating riff, a head or even a fucking chord progression. They just meander the whole time. In a vacuum, I'm rating this 2 stars based on that I will never purposely listen to it again. But I'm adding half a star for how revolutionary it was at the time and how much it influenced a lot of my favourite music... The jazz funk fusion of the early to mid 70's. And half a star for the bitchin artwork.

Miles Davis is musically brilliant but not my thing.

cool sounds, just got a bit samey

I know that this is an extremely important album but I just do not have the literacy around experimental jazz to really get this, at least not on first listen, which took almost 2 full hours lol. Part of me was tempted to give this a 5 just to pretend I had taste. Obviously Miles Davis is incredible this just isn’t a super enjoyable album for me, not unenjoyable though. I sincerely apologize

Idk it's Jazz

Little too noisy for me. I prefer kind of blue

Not my kind but its great

6/10 Esta bueno, temas muy largo, eso no me gusto y se me hizo medio denso en un momento, con temas que estaban bastante pj. Pero no es malo, se puede disfrutar

I like a project, about 6 years ago I decided I was going to listen to all of the rolling stone 500 albums of all time in a year. There were only two I couldn’t listen to. An album by Selena, it just felt too lightweight. And this. For context I was in the midst of a patch of really poor mental health and this was too frantic and too chaotic. So I’ve tried again, and it’s still those thing but in a positive way. This is an exercise in technique and ambition and it meets it most of the time. Phenomenal musicianship and production that uses the studio as an instrument. Not always my natural musical home but never not impressive.

I think maybe I just don't care for Miles, excepting kind of blue and the spain/flamenco? one. This is electric fusion and all as advertised, but on first listen just doesn't go as hard as I need my relatively formless music to go.

I liked Kind of Blue much much more.

Great musician, horrible human

3.8

Super well renowned but just fiddly soloing for long songs, it didn’t grab me emotionally or resonate with me much. After a few days later, I can’t remember a single song. Impressive for what it is, but not for me

⭐⭐⭐ Svårbedömt album å ena sidan stuntals krävande med lmycket långa spår utan tarditionell låtuppbyggnad men jag upplever också att jag går helt upp i vissa spår och att det nästan blir meditativt. Efter några lyssningar uppskattar jag det mer och kommer nog komma tillbaka till det igen, helt klart är att man måste vara i rätt mood för detta album. Det är de två första spåren Pharaoh's dance och Bitches Brew jag har svårast för. Det blir en strk 3a. Bäst är Spanish key, Miles run the voodoo down

I'm really trying to appreciate Jazz here. This was good, but sometimes an uncomfortable listen, and I'm comfortable sitting with that. Jazz is never "easy listening" for me. The thing with Jazz music like this is they'll get on a groove or a little segment of a song that I'm enjoying...then before I know it, they're off on another tangent. I keep wanting them to settle in, let me settle in, but I never get the chance to.

Imma be so honest, I listened to 40 minutes and I think I’ve had enough lol. Good album but almost 2 hours is wild

Felt like listening to a panic attack

Sounds like elevator music but it's relaxing. 3 stars

Very talented obviously. I wish I had the attention span to parse out the individual songs. This album art is sweet though and I can't believe it's from 1970.

Oon nyt ihan vastikää jotenkin lämmennyt jazzille enemmän. Toki myönnettävä, että jazz ei todellakaan sovi joka tilanteeseen, mutta esimerkiksi ravintolassa taustamusiikkina tai kotona ylipäätään taustalla kun fiiilistelyfiilis päällä niin toimii todella hyvin. Ps. Jazz baarissa ois kiva päästä käymää

Not a big enough jazz boy. Prefer sides 3/4 to 1/2

I know I should rate this higher but I just can’t

Weird and dark

Cool

Not good, but I appreciate the experimentation.

I just can't get into this, maybe I'm not cool enough.

it's good but i just. the songs are so long !!! but it's really nice

Ideal for working

I’ve been a fan of most of the jazz albums I’ve listened to on this list, but this album was a bit tedious.

Not something I'd choose to listen to, find the trumpet a bit grating 😬 Obviously technically very good otherwise

Sympa!

I honestly feel so unqualified to review this album. I’m still a nascent jazz enjoyer so this was an intimidating listen. I enjoyed Spanish Key.

Unfortunately just too damn long. Super cool and influential but not my fav miles by a long shot. I like the moodier more atmospheric stuff. This shit is still awesome tho

Maybe I'm just a philistine but I don't quite *get* this one. It sounds good and the players are incredibly talented but it doesn't move me. More toward a 3.5 than a 3 but still

Too much going on here for me and I’m just not a huge fan of jazz.

It's good, it's so experimental though that I'm not sure I really got it.

Feel like I'm back in Nola, listening to all this jazz. I know it's improvisational as a genre, but some of the songs felt more disjointed than I typically like, plus almost 2 hours was perhaps a bit much. Still though, it's Miles Davis!

did i enjoy this? not really. do i think it deserves a place on this list? 100%

Idk its jazz songs are long as. would study to

Obviously this is an incredibly important album and I can't deny its influence and the way it paved the way for so many delightful weird jazz albums I like. However, Bitches Brew lives in this weird zone where it's more experimental than something like Kind of Blue (an all time favorite) but not as weird as something like Journey to Satchidananda (my favorite) which leaves me unsatisfied.

Gotta be in the right mood

Jazz.

Jazz is still something that eludes me, maybe on a another listen or after I listen to a more toned down jazz album this will click with me more.

Savršen primjer albuma koji bi se trebao odslušati jednom u životu. Da se divi genijalnosti i da se više ne sluša. Jer je potrebna gomila koncentracije i vremena da se ovo svari. Kad bi bilo malo kondenzovano na nekih 70 minuta mislim da bih imala bolje mišljenje.

Although I feel the tracks on this album sound a bit too “chaotic” for my liking, I think it’s good as background for studying

Knew I was in for a ride when I saw this album had 7 tracks and it was 1 hour and 45 minutes long Miles Davis will always be cool, easily a top 3 musician to ever pick up the instrument. The musical talent itself is incredible, just masterful execution. There are some really interesting ideas in this one, definitely feels a lot more modern than Birth of the Cool while still absolutely having some of that same identity. It was a bit too freeform for my liking, not necessarily a bad thing but it made it harder to get invested in the music. It definitely did drag a lot, I probably would have liked it more if they tried some shorter more focused pieces in between the long flowing tracks. I will always be pretty happy with a jazz album, I got a shit ton of work done listening to this one. Not quite my cup of tea but I can absolutely see the type of person who would say this is one of the greatest albums of all time

han schochli respekt hahaha jz so mach 15 min findis na cool zum eifach chli lose aber s isch schono vill. d perkusssion wo de teppich leit sozege findi recht cool de ahfang vo bitches brew isch na cool! aaaaber 25 min sind halt fucking lang ok ja es isch scho sehr zu hindergrundmusig mutiert wow es 4 minütigs lied! hey bin denn scho froh wenns fertig isch ok sanctuary findi jz echt chli langwilig. höchstens d drums findi cool aber naja weiss iwie überhaupt nöd was denke. iwie mega spannend und au meistens recht cool, aber halt musig, mit dere ich sehr selte in kontakt bin und drum au nöd uuunglaublich vill han chönne ahfange. für mich isches leider sehr schnell hindergrundmusig gsi

Experimental jazz indeed. It certainly inspired emotions, mainly fear and anticipation for it to be over. Still a fun listen for its uniqueness if nothing else

I appreciate it but I’d never choose to listen to this

Ekki alveg minn tebolli en alveg mjög cool stuff inn á milli.

Perus hyvää Milesiä. Ei kuitenkaan henk.koht suosikki. Hyvä lätty taustalla.

Галя я не выкупаю (но джаз это хорошо, просто я слишком тупой)

нравится джаз слушать живьем, все конечно круто, реально, но так долго слушать записи такие - не могу, 3.5 из уважения чисто

Jazz fusión y rock, en un formato bien experimental 1hr y 45min de un jazz bien fino, incluso a veces puede ser incomprendido, yo si recomiendo dejarse disfrutarlo, detrás de esa capa de ambigüedad hay elementos muy interesantes y muestran lo atemporal que la música puede ser Miles Davis fue sumamente importante en el mundo del Jazz y este álbum fue una manera de recordárselo a muchas de su audiencia y a desconocidos también 3.5

Music needs to evolve, and move into new and interesting areas. It can them evolve to a blend of old and new, achieving wider popularity and acceptance. So, God Bless the explorers and innovators. We need the Beefhearts, the Stockhausens, the MC5s, the Miles Davises, the Sun Ras, The Residents. But, these new forms are not always comfortable. The Europeans landing in Australia may have thought "It's just baking sand and weird animals that can kill you." So it is with this album. I appreciate the invention, the exploration, the uniqueness. But I personally did not enjoy it. Sure, I'm glad it exists, and I'm sure Taylor Swift wouldn't exist without this album (?!) but I'm unlikely to listen to it again. Scoring it - Difficult, so rated it as "banana max".

I actually enjoyed this way more than I expected. I thought this would be too avant-garde for my taste and that it would be constant banging on keyboards and dissonance and stuff, but that wasn’t really the case. There is really beautiful music on this with stunning melodies. The biggest problem for me though, is the length of this album. I think this was quite a lot to take in in one sitting and therefore I don’t thing I’ll return to this much.

Undeniably extreme talent, undeniably cool. Please don’t take my reviews as a measure of quality I’m ranking based on how much I like it. The chords and harmonies are carefully chosen to be evocative and unsettling. I’m very impressed but I’m probably not coming back to this.

I swear I heard Emerson Lake and Palmer in there... So this album takes a couple of tracks to get a feel for it. I was expecting more straightforward jazz and I got a weird prog jazz that is honestly good. I wish I had the time to get in the right head space for it. Or out of my head space perhaps. Either way a little weed and this settles in quite nicely. It's a fun experiment in music. Some parts really work, some don't, but it's an experiment so go in with an open mind and let yourself follow it. It's worth the time.

not bad

Not my style but had some sick instrumentals for smooth jazz.

Cool Jazz but a bit long

Solid! Not a huge Miles fan but this one is good

Objectively 5/5, but I’m not on this album’s level. So 3/5.

I’m giving this album 3.5 stars. It’s not a genre I usually listen to in my daily life, so it was definitely a different experience for me. Still, I do enjoy jazz, and I can recognize that this is a very important and influential album There’s something captivating in its chaos

Pretty good! Enjoyed listening to while working

I prefer the other works of Davis but its clearly still him!

Quite the journey here. Easy to fall into a jazz trance with this one. A good recording of a legendary artist, it's going to stretch your jazz-ness, if that's what you're looking for. Gotta slow down to enjoy this one.

I’ve never been a big fan of jazz. Still am not, but enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. Got bored during the last couple of tracks, but the first two or three were really strong.

Would not buy

maybe sacrilege, but this just gets too experimental for my caveman brain

Not bad background music. 2.75

I love Miles Davis, but always found this a difficult album to get into. I got a little closer, but not there yet.

It was okay. Too many tempo changes and variables to be considered one song, and just a few veeeery long tunes.

Similar to my other jazz reviews: this is fine and nice to have in the background, but I can’t see myself seeking this out again.

I know that he is meant to be brilliant but I can't get into it. It sounds like a random jam session that doesn't go anywhere.

Jazz is not my thing, didn't finish it. Won't ruin the ratings

It literally doesn't matter what this is as long as it's different from the last fucking album. What is this lad on about. Holy shit two hours with 7 songs?? Ok. Interesting. It's instrumental it's a little devious it's study music. Not much else to say unfortunately. He's doing some really interesting stuff but I am not the right person to appreciate it unfortunately. So this does sorta just feel like noise. Idk. I've always loved Spain. Wait John don't hurt em now. Miles I'm ready. It is kinda sanctuary. Fee fi fo fum baby. Favourite: Spanish Key Least favourite: Bitches Brew

Never heard Miles Davis before, very experimental at times but overall a nice music to work along

Miles has to be considered among the greatest and most important musicians of the 2oth century, and this is one of his dramatic left turns in creative direction.....and yet, I can't shake my feeling that this is an album that people pretend to like. The art work is beautiful, the ambition is evident, the sounds are revolutionary, and its quite possibly the greatest assembly of musicians ever, yet every time I've tried to revisit it, I find much of it an abrasive and often unenjoyable or amelodic listen. A lot of it sounds cool, but I'm just too much of a sucker for melody and hooks to really fully sink in. I kind of prefer "In A Silent Way" or "On the Corner" from Miles' electric period.

Not my type of Jazz. I can appreciate the trumpet talent but doesn't mean I enjoy it. Album is not offensive.

I like listening to jazz, but 30 minutes is my max.

"Jazz double album" would normally be a death sentence for an album. But I've always liked this one. Pharaoh's Dance feels like the soundtrack to a 70s detective movie. It's probably my favorite jazz piece ever. The title track is not as good, a lot weirder. I like this album for completely unknown reasons. I generally like funk and this album is funky...but I also generally dislike freeform jazz and this is maybe the most famous (popular?) freeform jazz album ever. The second album is not as good as the first.

Jazz and definately experimental jazz as this album is an aquired taste. I enjoyed the listen but am sure those with a more musical background appreciated it much more.