Bitches Brew

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

***an easy listening instrumental album

Legendary!

Waaaaaaaah Wah wah waaaaaaaah Wah waaaaaaah

It's been a few years since I last listened to this album and I was hoping to enjoy it more this time around, but unfortunately I didn't.. I like jazz but this just doesn't do anything for me. I'll try again in another couple years.. Favorite track: Feio 3.5/5

Álbum de soul ótimo! Celest Phoenixcall.

Way long, but good.

9/10

Ehkäpä hieman liian kaoottinen ainakin kakaroilla yhdessä kuunneltuna, mutta myöhemmin yksin kuulokkeilla levy tuntui inspiroivalta jaa hyvällä tavalla kaoottiselta. Ei lemppari mutta tarvii uuden kuuntelun vielä.

Like smoking a wet blunt outside of a jazz club, and then coming down to realize that the 2 hour show you just saw was actually just the band tuning up for 10 minutes.

I like and am open to jazz, but this one pushed me, too "post modern". To be fair, this probably should be on this list given it's Miles Davis, but it was just too unstructured for me. Feio made my left ear very uncomfortable. 2*

Nah, it sits there and bores me. In a Silent Way blows it away

Live this album. If it wasn’t for Kinda Blue this may very well be the best jazz album of all time.

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.

ya like jazz?

Treffer meg ikke like godt som «Kind of blue» og «Sketches…»

This is just not for me

One hour and 45 minutes of pure torture for me. I do not like jazz. It all sounded the same. I know Miles Davis is good at what he does; it’s just not for me.

This is just plain good. Interest to listen to, layered, with the drum holding it all together

Really struggled to finish this

Kinda disjointed

I'm clearly just not smart it cool enough to get this.

2/10

This album has such a distinct style. The music is mystical and ethereal. It’s driven by rhythm with dreamlike melodies floating in and out of the mix. Sometimes performers drift away and do their own thing. And then sometimes everyone in the band snaps into place and they become an absolute hurricane force. I love when Miles plays those staccato stabs on the off beat. You can hear it around 10:30 on the title track. He does that a lot during this era and I can never get enough. (There’s a track recorded a few years after this called “Red China Blues” where he plays a solo that is entirely short bursts on the off beat. It’s a total headbanger.) The second half of this gets bluesy and funky. Love that. In college, this was my go-to studying/research album. When I needed to drink a large coffee and stare at a computer screen for a few hours, I played this on my iTunes. I liked how the music already sounded caffeinated. After a while, I started to associate it with studying, so I felt that it helped me get in the headspace I needed to be in. Many years removed from that now, I can appreciate the album in a new light, though a few moments did conjure up a vivid image of the campus library.

Just an absolute legendary jazz fusion record, probably the most important in the genre. It's jam packed with interesting moments and ideas, and when listening I can't help but think about being in the room with these musicians and what that vibe was like. Awesome album cover, one of the more memorable ones that I can think of.

I mean for real, does it get any better? One of the best records ever made.

A jazz fusion masterpiece. I mean it's Miles Davis... The fact that his backing band are some of the greatest fusion names of all time should tell you everything about the musicianship on this album. With that, the pieces themselves are masterpieces. 5/5

A beast of an album. It feels so futuristic, and this was recorded in 1970, so I can see how this was so groundbreaking at the time. But, it's jazz, it's free flowing and goes off on tangents and it's just a long album that's more of a soundscape than anything coherent most of the time. Some of the horn lines are really catchy. Ill give Disc 1 ("Pharoah's Dance" and "Bitches Brew") to the horns. Other than that not much caught my interest. On the second disc of the album, some other stuff begins to shine. The electric guitar on "Spanish Key" is fantastic. Drumming is great throughout. It's a cool experience to listen through once, but I can't say I want to listen to it again. I much preferred Kind Of Blue. I think I have to give it 2/5 though, because I was very much done with it by the end and there's no one song that I'd want to listen to again in my spare time.

Well... that really was 7 20-minute experimental jazz songs back to back... that all sound the same with no distinction at all between them...

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.

Enjoyed! Very smooth stuff. Would be good background music for me

- Miles -

It was jazz

Simply perfect

I usually like jazz and I think I would probably like this more if I saw it live, like if I was actually in the room where this kind of thing was being played, experiencing it properly firsthand, but recorded like this and trying to listen to it in the car instead of an immersive environment, I struggled and fast forwarded my way through a fair bit. There are also some sounds that I didn’t enjoy, the kind of deliberately dissonant stuff just isn’t for me. I do appreciate the mastery however and the cover art is cool.

I hate jazz music so goddamn much. I want to punch my phone just to stop the noise. And it's almost TWO HOURS LONG?! Zero stars. Just to be clear, I'm only ten minutes into the first song but I'm voting now because I know it ain't gonna get any better. Wish me luck as I try to endure the rest of this so called 'music'.

Random horn blowing and not in a good way.

Not my usual jam but I like it.

If you locked an infinite number of monkeys in a room with trumpets, swing drums, bass guitars and keyboards, and left them for an infinite amount of time, could they recreate Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew? I have almost zero doubt they could, but they would be far too creative, sensible and restrained, and would actually create something resembling a tune with a structure. I love the cover art. If I owned this, I’d just leave the record inside and admire it from the outside.

Absolute masterpiece

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!

I'm not as cool as Miles Davis. 2/5

apsolute cinema

Lovely jazzy listen 4

Cool, but way too long

Spacey, groovy, jazzy, and way too fucking long

I'm convinced that the people who claim they like this album really don't and are just trying to be counter-culture. Listening to this is like staring at a piece of art in a studio and convincing yourself the banana taped to the wall is brilliant. This is very hard to listen to and even harder to enjoy.

Bah écoute c’était vraiment stylé. J’ai aimé, je me suis pas fait chier. À réécouter

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

pretty but I prob wont relisten

Bitches Brew is a wild, simmering stew of sound

APOLOGIES TO SCOTT BROWN'S TATTOO. This is a long, weird album. I love jazz but this isn't one that's on my rotation often. There's a lot of discordance. That said, I can appreciate it's ambition and it's still very interesting to listen to. Like Pink Floyd's 'Wall,' this album may be a bit of a bummer but it is impressive.

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

Perfect.

"music is the greatest of the arts for me because it cuts through everything, needs no aids. it is. it simply is. and in contemporary music miles defines the terms. that's all. it's his turf." ~ Ralph J. Gleason, liner notes. How can you rate an album like this? It's like rating a Dali or Picasso painting. Although not the easiest listen - indeed, quite a challenge at times - I recognise geniuses at work. I will spend my life figuring out why this is such a special work. 5* (listened to on CD which I picked up in Book Off in Tokyo, Japan).

One of those albums I've always meant to listen to and never did till today, I'm aware of it's significance, an experimental jazz-fusion record, and on the first listen I think it's phenomenal, not something you'd listen to on repeat but come back to every now and then, the musicianship is next level.

I've struggled a bit with the other two jazz albums I've heard so far. I enjoyed them but couldn't imagine myself loving them or returning. But this is different and it kept me engaged for the entire hour and a half runtime. Even though jazz still isn't my favorite genre I'm going to give this 5* because I really can't imagine it getting much better then this

Jazz is not my taste.

Sometimes jazz sounds like Playing music wrong on purpose and I'm here for it. This album was interesting to me.

Yikes

noice

“Bitches Brew” isn’t really my go to Miles Davis album because I always think it’s really dark and kind of menacing. But that’s part of the appeal. And listening to it again, there a sense of mystery as well as some fantastic funky grooves and choppy angular guitar playing by John McLoughlin and… well, I could go on but I think everything’s been said. It’s an amazing album by a line up of musical geniuses (genii?). An absolute classic, yes.

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

I worked on the interminable insurance inventory for all the stuff I lost in the wildfire to this album. It made the heartbreak a little less painful (even as I recall losing this album to the fire as well. RIP album. RIP house.) It’s a good album, though you do have to be in the mood for it. This was initially hard for me to get into when I got into jazz in high school, but it grew on me. It was the only jazz album my mom owned, lol.

5.5/10 Considerably more enjoyable than Kind of Blue, but still this is just really not my cup of tea. As background music its fine.

A little hectic for me. I like some sort of melody. Too highbrow!!

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.

Noni. Tämä Jaaz oli hieman liian kokeellista tänne

Ehkä vähän liian lennokasta trumpetin töräyttelyä meikäläisen makuun, vaikkakin kyseiseltä legendalta löytyy parempiakin levyjä.

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

Chaos! This album made me nervous. There's so much happening on all levels, all of the time. It's hard for me to step back and hear the music.

There are some movies that are infinitely watchable. You can sit down and no matter where you are joining in you can just step into the river and float. Caught up on the current, the comfortable water temperature, the familiar surroundings. The jokes are funny. The poignant lines sting. The killer shots are...killer. And then there are movies that you may not reach for because you've taken that journey and you just can't quite muster the fortitude to retake that journey. Even if the journey is extraordinary. And revolutionary. singular. Bitches Brew is extraordinary. Revolutionary. Singular. Also Phantasmagoric. Interplanetary. Illusory. Hypothetical. Fictive. This album used to present more of a challenge. Still challenging but I am at least familiar with the vocabulary. And it's an absolutely towering achievement. This album reaches for two handfuls of sand and clears the beach - a few strains of sand scattering. This a a moment the lasted far beyond its time - unconstrained by such trivialities. I don't reach for this regularly but maybe I should. I might finally be ready.

swaggy sunday

I too struggled with ‘Bitches Brew’ the first time I heard it. If you’re a Miles Davis newbie, this probably isn’t the place to start. Go and listen to ‘Kind Of Blue’. On first listen, ‘Bitches Brew’ is dense and impenetrable—dark, atmospheric, even menacing. Thick like molasses. It’s jazz… but not jazz. It’s something else entirely, like stepping deep into the jungle, unsure of what awaits you. Frightening but mesmerizing. To many, it might just sound like noise. But if you stick with it, what begins as a muddy wall of sound slowly reveals its layers. It’s an album that truly rewards repeated listening. And even after all these years, it still sounds like nothing else. There’s jazz, rock, avant-garde, free-jazz improvisation—it’s all over the shop. A coalescing maelstrom of music and noise. Miles assembled a kind of electric jazz supergroup; he had a knack for spotting talent—many of whom would go on to define fusion in the ’70s with their own bands. Wayne Shorter on soprano sax, Joe Zawinul and Chick Corea on electric piano, John McLaughlin on guitar, Dave Holland on bass, Jack DeJohnette and Lenny White on drums, and more. And then there’s Teo Macero. He is the secret weapon behind this and many other Miles albums, especially during his electric period. It’s his innovative production techniques, sharp editing, and instinct for knowing where to cut, paste, and loop the recordings that gives ‘Bitches Brew’ its strange, hypnotic structure. He didn’t just produce the album—in some ways he sculpted it, and he was just as instrumental in its making as Miles and the musicians themselves. Over the years, I’ve grown to love ‘Bitches Brew’—not just as an album, but as an experience. Give it time—let it wash over you and unfold in its own way—it will eventually win you over. Bold, ambitious, and electrifying, it’s a true musical landmark—not just in jazz, but in music as a whole.

I don't get it, the arrangement makes no sense. Just a bunch of instruments doing their own thing. Not enjoyable.

I tried, I really tried but when I checked how much longer was left and I was only on the second song I had to give up. I hope that this is the only one I’m not able to finish but here it is. This should have negative stars.

Ziemlich kreatives Jazz Album

I didn't even notice when it ended.

Nothing else like it. A shower of notes

This was a really cool album but I had a hard time trying to stay engaged because the tracks were so long and seemed very repetitive.

My opinion of jazz remains unchanged

DNF. While I don't doubt the virtuosity of Miles Davis and company on this album, I can't abide this cacophonous music.

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!

Interesting Layers - Hooks and Lines. Not one of his better works.

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

I can appreciate the musicianship, but not my thing

Perfection. The intensity of Miles here is next level.

One I'll come back to. I want to understand this one more. Perhaps a tad on the long side.

I'm not much into this style of jazz, but I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. The bass and drums are great, and the trumpet has it's moments, though it's too piercing and abstract for me overall

Oh wow. Ethereal. Profound. Epic. Game changing. Life changing.

👐 - never again is too soon! Don’t get me wrong - I know he’s a genius and the musicians are masterful. I absolutely condone the album being on the list. I just don’t have the sensibilities for experimental jazz with no structure or anything to hold onto. I don’t need to feel any more adrift than I already do.

Well, it was a Miles Davis bonanza as I spun Sketches of Spain by mistake before realizing it was Bitches Brew on the docket. Kinda cool, as the albums were so different and helped remind me how diverse and deep and artistically challenging Davis was. I loved both albums, and was struck by how this record didn't seem to center around the trumpet, there were so many elements equally at play. I don't have a ton of analysis, I just need to listen to this stuff more often.

I love Miles Davis, but electric Miles truly sends me. This period, from In a Silent Way through Get Up With It and all the live albums in between, represents the greatest streak any artist ever had this side of The Beatles. It's peak music. Every album takes the listener on a bold journey into parts unknown. I know Bitches Brew can be overwhelming. It's a double album; the first two songs are 20+ minutes long; it's dense and nonlinear, and let's face it: it's jazz fusion—a sub-genre that (quite rightly) evokes a lot of strong, negative opinions in people. This album is like one of those Magic Eye images. It appears like a jumbled mess until you figure out how to unlock its secrets. Few people love this album the first time they hear it. My suggestion is to start with 'Spanish Key' or 'Miles Runs the Voodoo Down'. They're much more accessible. Voodoo is essentially a standard jazz tune, featuring soloists and all that. It's just the groove that was new. (But, man, what a groove.) Spanish Key features a strong, catchy theme from Miles and a killer keyboard riff that always sends me, no matter how many times I hear it (around the 3:12 mark). The best parts of Spanish Key are the sections without any clear soloist, just a bunch of amazing musicians all vibing off each other, stabbing out chords and guitar lines, and just generally keeping the groove going. If you can dig those two songs, the rest of Bitches Brew (and the rest of Miles' electric period) should fall into place. It's funny to me that jazz critics accused Miles of selling out. Yes, this album sold well, but hot damn, few albums have ever been as out-there, as bold or ambitious as Bitches Brew. Miles didn't just swing for the fences on this one; he built a bigger stadium, squared off against an 'roided-out reliever, and still managed to hit a grand slam. Fifty-plus years later, this thing still sounds ahead of its time. (btw, if this music intrigues you, check out the live version of Spanish Key on It's About That Time: Live at the Fillmore East for a stripped-down-but-incendiary version of that tune. Or if this one's still too much, just check out his cover of Crosby Stills & Nash's Guinnevere from around the same time. It's just beautiful.)

I don’t speak this language. I can listen and kind of appreciate it. I know this album is a definitive jazz great but I simply don’t understand.

It was WAY more experimental and chaotic than I expected. The musicianship is undeniable but it's not exactly an enjoyable listening experience. For some reason, though, it absolutely pushed me to heights of productivity while I listened to it this morning so there's something there that's working on my subconcious.

This was a really long album. Good, but might've overstayed its welcome just a little.

I usually give all jazz a 3 because it all sounds the same to me and it's all okay, but this loses a point for being the length of a movie despite sounding like the same song the entire time.

Masete trompet

Not a jazz fan

Excelent songs, such as sanctuary, Pharaoh's Dance., They're my favourites. Extremely impressive, inovative and experimental. Some moments are way too experimental for me, with a weird jazz fusion vibes. Some songs left me feeling "anxious", unsettled. Problaby by design (so many things happening at once) Long songs, which was algo a surprise. Overall, excelent discovery, and great way to start. Problably I won't listen to every song or the whole album very often, but some songs for sure will enter my regular playlists for working focus.

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.

By minute 12, I was begging the trumpet to stop. By minute 30, I was begging for death.

Experimental improvisational jazz man, just a bunch of cats sitting about and jamming freeform and exploring riffs endlessly... One piece clocked in at 4 minutes and change and I almost fell over with shock.

nope nope nope

3.3/a little too freaky

Man, what a change from “Kind of Blue”! This is fantastic piece of work (though I’m not sure all my supper guests on the night of my (shared) listen through would wholeheartedly agree) - lots of perplexed looks around the table at points. Only geniuses can swerve so fast and still stay so high

This album is a masterpiece. Took me a long time for it to click with me but once it did there was no going back. There’s a freshness there that’s hard to explain. Apparently miles told John McLaughlin to play the guitar like it was the first time he picked one up. Such an important album.

I can't pretend to understand most jazz but certainly appreciate the brilliance of Davis and his co-conspirators.

Miles is a treasure, but improvisational jazz rock isn't really my thing. It felt educational, but this album didn't really hit the pleasure centers of my brain.

I tried. I'm just not ready for Jazz.

Bitches Brew I’ve tried this album quite a few times in the past, but it’s never really stuck, too cacophonous, too unstructured with too many Jazz tropes; parping, noodling horns, seemingly arbitrary changes of direction, no spaces or breaks, random interjections from some organ or guitar and lots of drum fills. Doing the list though has made me less fearful of Jazz and more open minded I think, and this is the first time I think I can say I enjoyed it, and perhaps I even started to ‘get it’. I’m a bit reluctant to say ‘get it’, as it feels loaded with the sanctimonious, pork pie hat wearing, earnest and superior Jazz-pseud, someone who thinks they understand music in a way other people can’t possibly comprehend because they get Jazz. But what I will say is that you are witnesses at the new birth of Tom, mark 2. I hope you enjoy my new direction. There’s no doubt though that it’s not an easy listen, especially over 90 minutes. There’s a lot going on, either through various instruments coming in and out, or the phrases and structure shifting around frequently, and it’s very easy to not know what's going on and look down and see you are only 5 minutes into Pharaoh's Dance and there’s another 42 minutes before you even get to Track 3. But the more I listened the more I got sucked into it, and found myself enjoying it’s structured chaos, and getting into the rhythm of very long songs that take their time to develop and unfurl themselves, and it's one of the first times with Jazz where I can start to understand how they are interweaving with each other, or how they are aiming to shift the direction of the songs. And the quality of musicianship is undoubted, and it’s nice to note that the bass player is from Wolverhampton. On the first two tracks particularly you can really hear the influence on Kid A, especially Everything in its Right Place, Kid A and Idioteque. And you can also see how it also birthed Jazz-rock and, on balance for the worse, gave legitimacy to Jazz-fusion. I’m not sure I totally understand all of it, and it’s not something to casually throw on, but I do think it is a pretty incredible album, the density of stuff going on makes it hard to process without multiple listens, and it is a long record, but how you can even imagine this and then make it is brilliantly crazy and an amazing musical achievement. I think it can only be a 5. 🫖🫖🫖🫖🫖 Playlist submission: Miles Runs the Voodoo Down

I infer from the Daliesque artwork, that this is an album best listened to after ingesting some psychoactive substances - and maybe that would help to unlock the album's secrets. It may have been revolutionary at the time. And it may be a work to respect; it certainly feels towering, challenging, unconventionally titillating in places. But it's certainly not an album I could be supremely moved by, nor love. The strap line is 'Directions in Music'. Turns out taking 10 different directions simultaneously is not great to listen to. To me Bitches Brew remains merely a good euphemism for menstrual blood.

A beloved classic! One of my favorite Miles records.

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.

Sounded great but was too long for me. No break to really digest.

Not for me

I struggled with this one a bit. It was long and eclectic, almost disjointed at times. Some parts felt like the band didn't know what they were supposed to be playing and were trying to figure it out on the fly. There were plenty of good moments, but they got vastly overshadowed by the rest of what was happening in the 90+ minutes of runtime. Unfortunately, I felt done with it before the third song was halfway over. To be fair, that was at about the 50 minute mark (!). I did stick through and listen to the whole thing. Not sure that was beneficial; it felt a bit exhausting and probably impacted my ability to evaluate the later songs fairly. But, as this is an exercise in albums, it kind of is the only way to do it. I actually did like the vibe of "Miles Runs the Voodoo" even if it got old by the time the track ended. Jazz isn't really my favorite kind of music so that probably played a role too. I've never actually listened to Miles Davis before, and was interested to hear this one as his reputation precedes him. To his credit, it seemed like there was some interesting stuff happening. I like that he had a diverse mix of instrumentation instead of all brass or piano like some of the other jazz records I've gotten here. Interestingly, I got this generated right after a Count Basie record. Each was very different in composition, but I still didn't particularly like either one. At least Atomic was a more manageable length. Had the tracks and this album been (much) shorter, I probably would've liked it more. As it was, I felt fatigued by it even when there was still a lot left to go. The good parts were overshadowed by the sheer size of the album, and, to me, there weren't enough of them. Overall: 1.75/5

Over 90 minutes of jam sessions cluttered by so many instruments that is borders on incoherence. More of an endurance test than anything. Excess just for the sake of excess is not innovative.

Oh my god!!! Make it stop!!!

I checked this cd out from the library in the early 90's. I didn't really like it. I was into more straightforward jazz at the time and this was pretty atonal. Fast forward 30+ years and I'm listening to this with different ears. It's obviously a masterpiece, the musicianship is stellar. I can see how a bunch of 20 minute songs would be pretty daunting, considering we're in the 15 to 30 seconds tiktok video era. Pretty much every player on this album would be the best musician in any band they were in. Invest some time listening, it's worth it.

Undeniably good. Easy to understand its importance and influence. But a little tedious to listen to sometimes.

Erm, I don’t hate this but I don’t like it either I’m barely down 2 songs in my drive to and from work and I usually do a whole album in that trip. I may come back to this at some point but I’m not sure my patience will let me

Didn’t quite connect with this one despite some recent jazz surges.. def doesn’t help that I got back to back 2 hour albums

Another I album I feel I should like more than I do. I come back to this one every five years or so for a temp check, but the end is always the same, free form jazz get's under my skin. I could leave Disc 1, but found Disc 2 to be more palatable with some moments I could sink into. I do like Miles. The Blue Note stuff is killer.

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.

I really liked the last Miles Davis album we had, which felt like more classical jazz. This one is definitely more experimental or "free form" (if that's the correct term, idk. I'm just picturing the free form jazz bit from Spongebob rn). Also, the length of the songs and album as a whole made this difficult to listen through in one sitting. I'm not sure this is the sort of jazz I would gravitate towards, but that doesn't mean it's not good. Just not my taste. I'm not sure what to give this, but low 3 feels right to me.

I love me some Miles Davis, especially his electric period for which this is one of his more renowned entries. Lovely entry into the jazz fusion cannon pulling on the strong entries of Davis, McLaughlin, and Corea (among many others). As with any jazz, the review is more in the feel and the motion of the music than individual elements. Pharoah's Dance and Bitches Brew take a complete side each of the first album in this two disc pressing. Title track is iconic; spread out, "messy", but absolutely wonderful. Simple repetitive bass lines serve as a nice constant underpinning the surrounding chaos. Davis' trumpet is the obviously dominant vocal element here, but Corea's keywork carries a life of its own with counterpoint from McLaughlin's guitar. All combines to an atmosphere of ordered-chaos. Second album is made up of some (relatively speaking) shorter tracks. All of them are fantastic, but my favorites are Miles Runs the Voodoo Down and closer Feio. The latter being a rather drawn out and jammy affair that is more atmospheric than anything else. Whole album is fantastic. Up there with his best works and teeters on the edge of a 4 / 5 for me. Is this the most strictly enjoyable work of Miles Davis? Probably not. But I love the experimentation and wonderful clutter of it all. For that, I'll go soft 5.

This feels like an album that I should really like and real musicheads would love, but it just wasn't my cuppa. There's no denying the talent, but this is the type of jazz where it's so technically good, but it is so loose that it less appealing to the untrained ear even though it takes incredible skill to do what they are doing. I really like the echoing effect that is used that gives an eerie feeling of loneliness in a big city in the middle of the night. All in all this is *just* a high 3 on a first listen. I would certainly like to come back to this one to take another crack at it and try to appreciate it a bit more.

Very long but kind of all melted together and I kind of got lost in it. Wasn't fully paying attention but sounded intricate af. Was cool to listen to knowing this is such a classic of an album, but I may be too dumb to really appreciate it

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.

I think Bitches Brew is an excellent album and another example of Miles Davis being at the forefront of jazz as it was evolving. It’s not an easy album and it really benefits from hearing it several time to let it sink in a bit. I’m sure it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s a damn good album in my opinion.

This type of fusion jazz is probably my least favorite overall but I could still get into portions of if. “Miles runs the voodoo down” was probably my favorite front to back but there were pieces of ever track that I liked but it just spent to much fiddlin’ about for my taste.

Warming to this, after only about forty years

Couldn't make it past the first track. Maybe it makes me a heathen, or less intellectual, but freeform experimental jazz just make by brain hurt and me ears bleed.

Listen, Miles, you may be the greatest Jazz trumpet player ever, but if this is the kind of Jazz you insist on playing, I ain't listenin'. 1.5/5

More atmospheric than most of the jazz I’ve been listening to. It’s a vibe.

excellent jazz if you're into that

Has to be one of my favorite albums yet. I mean, what a stacked lineup. Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Bennnie Maupin, Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland... holy shart

I probably need to listen to this more, but at the current moment, I don't get it.

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.

If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis.

An album that really made me appreciate the purpose of the rhythm section at holding everything together. This is such chaotic and rich and exciting music, yet it never loses that thread that makes it music and not noise. I already liked this album but it's a treat to have a reason to listen to it in its entirety again. It feels like there's something new to get from it every time.

2 sterne

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

7 tracks coming in at a 1 hour 45 min run time is diabolical. At least the music is pretty good but damn it was a long listen

Forward thinking, but it’s no “Kind of Blue”. I do like the electronic components, but it’s a little frenetic and unsettling at points. Standout track is “Sanctuary”

This is a hard one to rate given some songs were great like "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" and "Sanctuary" and then there "Feio" which I didn’t like and "Pharaoh's Dance" which was both good and not good. Guess I spilt the difference.

Say you want to have something in the background for a hour and a half and also want jazz. This would be the ideal pick. low 2.5/5

It’s the soundtrack of getting blasted through a wormhole. What a record, nothing like it.

Good music but songs way too long couldnt really enjoy them as phone rang, had to work, pick up kids at school. Hated every second of not really having time to enjoy a good album like this. Still repetitive but pretty good

This is far more fun than the first Miles Davis album I listened to in this project, which was "Birth of the Cool", which I found solid but uninteresting. This is some out-there experimental jazz that I am here for. The cover art is fucking fantastic, too.

Fav songs: Bitches Brew; Sanctuary Challenging album. This isn't something you just put on to listen to for fun and relaxation. Although as it went, it seemed easier listening because I got into the groove of the album. It definitely has an opinion on whether jazz should be art or broadly marketable to everyone. Extra points for the killer album art.

Can't pretend I like jazz

Bueno

Dozdobro

jako dobro, iako ponekad mučno, nije baš moj đir

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.

Kind of good but also sometimes horrible, which seems to be the point of jazz

Это какая-то квантовая механика музыки.

For as long as it is it drifts right on by. I got a lot of house work done!

Great but not a hundred percent my kind of music

Long, unstructured, random and boring. Just about above 1* because I do respect the invention and musicianship. This is very hard to listen to though

I suspect I'd need to listen to this a few times to really "get" it. On first listen it seemed overly long, especially disc 1.

4 maybe 5

Not really my thing. Didn't hate it, but as one other reviewer said "That sure was several 20-minute jazz songs."

There were parts I really enjoyed and others that I found very grating.

I understand why this is great. It’s artful and different and diverse which I love, but I don’t see myself reaching for it

Still don't understand Jazz.

I'm glad I listened to this so soon after In a Silent Way, as that so obviously sets the table for this album. I think when I'm really in the mood for it, I prefer this one too the somewhat lighter and shorter Silent Way, but I thinks it's brilliant either way.

I used to like jazz much more than I do now. This is grand, though.

2.7

5/5. I would argue this may be one of the most controversial albums I can think of. Some say its genius, others say it is an abomination. I guess I find it hard to pick one or the other. It's not necessarily "listenable" all of the time but also it's so unique and evocative that it's hard to turn away from. You can clearly tell the talent here is intentional and yet, you wonder why they started to record it at all. It feels like one long song through the whole album, like a story being told of the beginning and end of all things. It feels sort of epic and cinematic in some ways. I think upon finishing it fully again, I do think this album has more to offer than not and I have the desire to listen to it again. I do think it is worthy of its genius title. Best Song: Miles Run Down The Voodoo, B****** Brew, Spanish Key

30 seconds of this made my heart rate spike. those were certainly some 20 minute long experimental jazz songs!

Three jazz albums in a row. I really don’t understand jazz to tell if it’s good or not, but I mostly don't care for it. I found this album very boring to listen to.

I really wanted to like this! I really want to like jazz. But it just ends up being random noise that keeps going and doesn't seem connected. I just get lost in the music, but not in a good way. So for me this was just long and random and I didn't really connect.

I dig me some mad trumpet. Miles delivers on that. Overall I like Disc 1 better than Disc 2. Pharaoh's Dance, I like the beat. That beat is WORKIN! It gives the piece a frantic undercurrent. Bitches Brew is kind of eerie and I like Miles' trumpet playing best on this one & Miles Runs the Voodoo Down. With complex jazz like this I imagine the instruments having conversations. I did not care for what the keys were adding to the conversation for most of the album. Had it's moments but mostly it felt like the keys were sloppy and discordant and making a general mess of things. Spanish Key & John McLaughlin has some groovin moments. I really didn't care for Sanctuary because it felt like they were searching for something and I'm not sure if they ever found it... and the trumpet playing is boring. I didn't like Feio because that 3 note bass line is really boring.

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.

This just sounds like a lot of noise to me. It feels like the musical equivalent of several people doodling a bunch of random stuff on their own pieces of paper, and then haphazardly affixing the pages together and calling it art. Perhaps these doodlers are even talented artists, but the finished product has zero structure and makes no sense as a whole. Also, this was painfully long. Whatever Miles was brewing here, it was really tough to swallow.

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*.

This Album was not particularly interesting to me. I found it quite boring and slow. No standouts.

I recognise the talent of the ensemble but I not my cup of tea. Favourite instruments is the guitar and keyboard, feels like the thread weaving together the album so the horns can shine

Nah, not for me.

g’wan lads!

i think this is good but it isn’t THAT good to justify these crazy song lengths

Pre-listening thoughts: I’ve seen this guys trumpet. He used it for Kind of Blue and it’s on display in the music building of my alma mater. Please don’t dox me because I said this. Post/during listening thoughts: yeah I don’t think instrumental jazz is really for me unless it’s safe like Vince Guaraldi Trio. Love those guys. Sorry Miles. I actually like what I’ve heard from Kind of Blue a little more than this though so maybe that one will get a better rating from me. But this is too friggin long and too all over the place. I know jazz is important and this definitely deserves to be here but I don’t personally care for it. 4/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: not me but maybe some of yall needed to Fav tracks: Jesus I mean every track is 20 goddamn minutes except one of them so take your guess which one is getting added to my playlist Least fav tracks:

Excellent musicianship, but I just can't get into it.

nothing short of revolutionary

Jazzy!

revolutionary genius

Too advanced for me. Lotta chaos to my untrained ear.

The Master!

Terrible

This is the 75th album I’m rating. I haven’t listened to a lot of Miles Davis. I hear he’s a jazz legend but I’ve found the little I’ve heard of him a bit boring. Adding to my Playlist - John McLaughlin and Sanctuary. Not Adding to my Playlist - Pharaoh’s Dance, Bitches Brew, Spanish Key, and Miles Runs the Voodoo Down. Pharaoh’s Dance - I like it but it feels a little too long and a bit bloated. Sanctuary - I liked it and added it but it still felt a bit too long. All in all I liked 2/6 songs. I’m glad jazz has begun to get less bloated because although this album is very good it all feels too long.

Not a big fan of jazz usually and this album is an example of why.

I guess I don’t consider peeing your pants to be cool.

This is a really hard album to listen to. It's got great bones and the musicians on it are extremely talented but it just does not come together. The drums and bass are the most consistent aspects but piano and trumpet can sometimes catch you off guard and they feel out of place. When this album works it is truly great but when it fails, it falls apart.

Whacky classic

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

2.5 rounded up to 3

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.

I thought I liked jazz. Between this and A Love Supreme I'm rethinking. But I do enjoy some of the parts that make sense together and don't make me want to explode. I want to enjoy it more, but its long and random. One or the other is bearable, both gets old. There's some good stuff in here, but a lot of random stuff also.

Zu schlau für mich.

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

Awesome! My favourite album ever!

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

Only got about halfway through, but it's Bitches Brew by Miles Davis

3.0 - Ok

5/10. Not his best but I’d have a glass of wine and dinner with it.

Iconic album that I have to be in the right mood to enjoy. Today was pleasant.

I guess I appreciate the artistry……I guess……but this is nothing I can get into.

I like some Jazz. But I don't 'get' most of it. This is on the edge of what I don't get.

Not my bag! Too unstructured for my taste.

Man this is unlistenable. 90 minutes of the same instruments played randomly

Too experimental, too long. Feio was nice

A sublime classic. An introduction for the masses while also pleasing the hyper aware.

Could have this playing 24/7

Puuuh...Jazz! :D Als nicht so Jazz bewanderter Hörer und Genießer von Musik, fiel es mir schwer mich vollkommen in diesen komplexen Strukturen zurecht zu finden bzw. diese entsprechend zu würdigen. Mir ist bekannt, dass "Bitches Brew" von Davis einen musikalischen Meilenstein darstellt, jedoch musste ich feststellen, dass diese Arrangements nicht wirklich etwas für mich sind. Was vermutlich einen gekonnten Zuhörer des Genres beeindruckt, konnte ich durch mein fehlendes Verständnis nicht wirklich genießen. Ich würde dem Album jedoch noch mal eine Chance geben, mich teifer famit auseinander zu setzen.

Mehrmals versucht mir das im Flugzeug anzuhören aber einfach viel zu langatmig mit kaum sich unterscheidender Musik. 1/5 kein Lieblingssong:D

There may be reasons that he is revered, but I can't suss them out by listening to this album. All is cacophony and chaos. If someone else thinks that it's music, more power to them.

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

Put the coolest dudes in a room together with a bag of weed and some hallucinogens. Get it!

I like Miles but this was difficult to bare. The sort of thing we've collectively got over since.

Some people need a certain type of structure from their lives: they need songs in familiar patterns, they need their art to look like what it is “supposed to be”. Others are content or find joy in drawing their own conclusions from what is presented to them…wether it’s by filling in the blanks where there might be a void or letting an auditory or visual idea wash over them, rather than demanding specificity. If you’re coming to Bitches Brew expecting everything to be neatly laid out and familiar, well…you’re going to have a bad time. I’m not saying one is right and the other is wrong, though you can probably tell that I identify more with the latter than the former. The format of this project does an album like Bitches Brew few favors: its density and scope truly unravels with repeated listens. When you’re grinding out an album a day, some may be less inclined to embrace the challenge this type of record presents - particularly since it is, by and large, comprised of improvised sessions which were recorded and then stitched together to create a whole. Had the discs of this record been reversed, i think it might be better received by the users here. The second disc probably tracks closer to what a rock music fan might expect from a jazz/rock hybrid, where Pharoah’s Dance and Bitches Brew dive head-first into more experimental, avant-garde territory right off the bat. But is accessibility for the listener something Miles Davis would have been concerned with? I’m reminded of an anecdote I’ve heard about his 1972 album, “On the Corner” (which, if you dislike this album’s fusion, you’ll want steer clear of), where a critic/interviewer told him the following about his jazz fusion work (paraphrased): “Miles, I was with you on In a Silent Way and I can get behind Bitches Brew, but with this one (On the Corner) you’ve lost me”. To which, Davis responded (again, paraphrased): “Am I supposed to wait for you to catch up?” Maybe not the most friendly response, but the correct one, I think. Miles Davis made the music that spoke to him, regardless of the risks associated with following that path. Everyone else could come along, or not - but he wasn’t concerned with making sure everyone “got it” and we probably shouldn’t be either.

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

I wish the tracks were separated out. It would have been a 4 star with that.

1h45m is a long time to fill. Even though the trumpet, drums, keys, pretty much everything sounded great, a lot of the runtime was spent kind of meandering. Really enjoyed certain pieces of it but listening to the entire thing was a different story

Skibidi, digabi, doo, it's like it's not about the music man.... It's about the journey through the music, okeydoke, didalee doo. Skibidi.

Definitely a move in a new direction and as interesting as the previous music.

Streit, men litt for langt og ustrukturert for min smak

bro i want to like this album but my brain does not work in that way, i can not listen to this without extreme add and immediately turning it to listen to something else, i think i honestly tried 5 times and on the sixth time i almost made it to halfway through the second to last song and gave up. Album art is goated tho

You can get lost in Bitches Brew. It is unapproachable and uncompromising in its vision, and there is nothing else like it.

Wild stuff

Probably my favorite Miles Davis. Not as accessible as Kind of Blue

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

I had listened to this before and really didn't care for it. I will say it grew on me a bit, although it's still hard to say I like it. I do respect it, however. 2.49/5

I just can't get into the dissonant non-sensical rambling. Spun Kind of Blue immediately after listening to remind myself I still enjoy some jazz.

Y'know, I already find writing about jazz hard enough. As much as I always talk about how I'm "melody first," talking about jazz seems to require an especially tuned pair of ears that I just don't seem to possess. Modes, tonality, interplay... I'm clueless about all of that. And so far, I've only had to talk about jazz albums of a normal album length. Imagine how daunting it was looking to me when I found out I had to tackle a jazz album that's **94 minutes**. 94 minutes. No one ever told me that this album was 94 minutes — across only six tracks at that, with the first two being **over twenty minutes**. Goodness me. Here's a real "no shit" statement fer yah: that's a **lot**. A **loooot**. I mean, sure, my group has tackled much longer, from 69 LOVE SONGS to that one Ella Fitzgerald box set, but the thing is, they were comprised of a **ton** of tracks. There was a mountain of material to deal with, but at least you could deal with it on a song-to-song, two/three minutes per basis, y'know? Versus here, where entire record sides are taken up by only one or two tracks. That's a fair bit of music you hafta consider all at once. Undeniably, it's a massive hurdle for a lot of people — and if I ain't getting flashbacks to Soft Machine's THIRD, I tell yah... But the thing is, despite my initial reservations about how long on average this thing is, I don't really have a problem with songs that go on for tens of minutes. Not as long as they can keep things moving and interesting. I mean, heck, I was one of the few people in my group to give THIRD the benefit, y'know? And besides, if there's one thing I've learned about Miles Davis from the last few records my group's gotten from him, it's that I really shouldn't doubt him in those regards. 'Coz, look, these aren't just long songs. Really, they're odysseys. Vast, expansive soundscapes where, yeah, you're hardly gonna catch everything you first couple go arounds — and, yeah, the terrain's gonna be a little rough for some people, and I won't blame 'em entirely if they tap out — but if you're willing to make the journey, it's damn impressive. Like, just that, first of all, this was all improvised. There's not a single moment of "prearranged shit," as Davis called it, across these 94 minutes. It's all down to Davis's instructions, his moment-to-moment cues, and the band just that fucking tight with each other that they could play off of one another like this. I can't imagine what it's like to be in that close sync with another person, let alone however many others played on any given song. Seriously, they all have, like, two drummers and two or three keyboard players. It's insane. This would have been an absolute mess if they just didn't click with each other — and thank goodness they do! And not just that, but you consider all of the **editing** that went into this, too. From what I read, the album was recorded in short segments before being stitched together in the editing process, and, honestly, I'd never guess if I wasn't told. It's seamless, and there were apparently a lot of edits. On just the first record alone there's 34, and some of them are as small as second-long fragments. It's nuts — especially in 1969! A lot of credit needs to be given to producer Teo Macero, not just for this, but for IN A SILENT WAY as well, as it turns out. Y'know what I think music is great for, honestly? Fantasiaing. That state of mind where you put the record on, lean back, and let the music paint your imagination. Throughout the entire album I was falling in and out of Fantasiaing, and, boy, lemme tell you, the wild stuff your mind can come up with to tunes like these... The way all these wild trumpet and keyboard and saxophone solos lend themselves so easily to— gosh, honestly, it's been a long time since I was able to do this with an album, and it was great. Non-zero reason why I liked this whole thing as much as I did, seriously. This is a 5 among 5's if I've ever heard one. Whatever praise this album's gotten, it deserves it all and way more. I used "odyssey" before to describe the songs by themselves, but really, you can, could and should apply it to the whole album. It's an experience I don't feel like I've gotten from any other album before. Jus', a masterwork, front to back. I'unno if this is the last Miles Davis album on the list or not, but if it is, then, dang, I can't imagine a better way to have gone out.

Solid 5 Stars. Simple As.

I'm at a 5, but I do think this is the weakest of the Miles Davis albums we've gotten so far. This is, from a technical standpoint, *really* impressive jazz work, and the instrumentation & experimentation it goes for does feel like a natural evolution from “In A Silent Way” – when we got that album, I said that “if Bitches Brew is indeed this even better, I cannot wait for that to pop up on the list”. Well, it popped up, and even though I do like this album, I think it suffers from two things that almost dragged me down from a 5. The first is obviously the length; 93 minutes is a long ask for jazz like this – it’s double the runtime of “In A Silent Way”, and with tracks going as long as 27 minutes, I think Miles Davis himself might've been sipping that brew, because it is HARD to make jazz sound compelling for 27 minutes, even for someone as good as him. I couldn’t even listen to the album in one full sitting; I had to break it up between the first two tracks and the last 4. The second is the fact that this is a mostly improvised album; few strokes of structure along the way, but for the most part, this is him & his crew riffing. It’s not a bad approach; I love the idea of letting the music take you wherever you think it should go, but the issue comes in the structures being a little too flimsy. More bluntly, I think too many people are stepping on each other’s toes, and it doesn’t create a good hierarchy of instrumentation, in such a way where everything feels too chaotic, too disjointed, and there’s never really a “dominant” lead instrument for too long on any of the tracks. Sure, some cut through more prominently like the lead sax (or trumpet, or whatever brass instrument it was), but it constantly feels like a fight between the guitar, piano, and the brass for the lead instrument. That structure might work for some people, and I can totally understand why, but for my tastes, I gave it a lot of leeway, and I just think the album never quite found the same groove as the other 3 Miles Davis albums we’ve gotten so far. When I wrote my review on “In A Silent Way”, I said the album succeeded in its simplicity – it never went risky, and it played itself super safe. The balance between the traditional jazz & the electric guitar & the keyboards was really strong, and I think this album throws that balance out the window in a way that’s just a little too forceful for my tastes (or for my expectations). It’s not bad at all; it sounds like I’m ripping into it, but this is still a fantastic listen that’s admirable for what it’s going for, but just a little too chaotic for me. I imagine the reasons I’ve laid out are why this has the lowest rating on the website of all the Miles Davis albums we’ve gotten so far. It’s a big leap in ambition that landed on a wet spot and never quite found its footing, but still landed nevertheless -- it's a 5, but just barely for me.

sent

experimentieler jazz, nein

So, A friend of mine told me that she believes that Miles Davis' music just sounds like noise, while i don't see that with Birth Of The Cool, Kind Of Blue, or In A Silent Way. I absolutely do see it with Bitches Brew. This album was just so unbelievably noisy with hardly any work done in actually composing any of the songs properly made this album genuinely painful for me to listen to. I would have disliked this album if it were just 30 minutes but it goes the extra mile and adds an hour to that runtime which made me so relieved once it finally came to an end. Miles Davis has made some decent albums before this one so to see him drop the ball this hard is just insane. Best Song: Sanctuary Worst Song: Bitches Brew Side note: Because i have now done every Miles Davis album on this project, here is my ranking of all of them 1. In A Silent Way 2. Kind Of Blue 3. Birth Of The Cool 4. Bitches Brew

Fine work.

Für meine Ohren nur belangloses Getute und Geklimpere ohne Struktur.

a lot going here

Jazz with flair.

I will say that I listen to a lot of Miles Davis during my work day. 'Bitches Brew' is solid. My favorite is 'On the Corner'...so I'd say this gets 4.5 stars. Rounded up...that's 5.

Highly enjoyable, but not necessarily something I would revisit

I gave this a go about 10 years ago and was just a bit befuddled by it. I wonder if my taste in jazz has developed in the interim enough to wrap my mind around it. I haven't been back since, but I've definitely enjoyed a fair amount of experimental music including jazz. Interesting that there's no real mention in Miles Davis reviews on here to what an enthusiastic wife-beater he seemed to be. You can't move through Clapton or Jacko reviews for references to their various transgressions, and I've mentioned stuff myself. Just a thought that occurred to me. Anyway we're here for the music. I'm enjoying the first track. Vague memories tell me I was still roughly on board at this stage last time. Love the foreboding bassline throughout the title track, and everything that swirls around and about in it. Storm Eowyn is blowing a gale outside so this is the perfect soundtrack to watching the trees blowing about outside my window. The groove in Spanish Key is relentless. John McLaughlin lost me slightly, perhaps because it's only 4 minutes or so the lack of structure is more evident. Miles Runs the Voodoo Down brings the swing, and is another irrepressible groove. And by god it's pulsating. The keys! Oh lord the keys. And that bassline as well. Just awesome. So yeah, I think my tastes have developed since 2013 or whatever lol. Incredible record.

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.

Trumpet player here. This is the type of jazz I hate. Formless, trilling nonsense. It's not hard to make those noises. Music for super pretentious people to ne able to tell others "you just don't get it". I couldn't make it through Disc 1.

Unique, layered , and worth revisiting

Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 🌊🔥👩🏾‍🦱 Production (Legacy Edition): 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🎷🌀😵‍💫 Rating: 🤯🤯🤯/5

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.

Songs are 2 long for my liking.

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

Miles middelish

92/100. Incredibly relaxing. The instruments are so beautifully played that it’s hard to find many jazz records better than this.

Classic

astonishing

Consistently the best.

By my own admission, my knowledge of jazz is rudimentary at best. I enjoy it, I appreciate it, but I don't necessarily have the experience or even the lingo to properly assess it. That said, even a luddite like me has heard of—and heard—Bitches Brew, a landmark album that redefined the boundaries of jazz. Make no mistake, this is not an "easy" listen. It is dense, complex, and musically challenging. The extended tracks sprawl unpredictably, driven by layers of electric pianos shimmering with distortion, John McLaughlin’s jagged guitar riffs, and Jack DeJohnette’s polyrhythmic drumming that often feels like controlled chaos. Davis’s trumpet, sometimes distant and echo-laden, cuts through the mix like a voice from another dimension. These elements combine to create a sound that feels simultaneously hypnotic and disorientating. As someone new to jazz fusion, what struck me most was the tension between structure and spontaneity. There are moments—such as the throbbing groove of “Miles Runs the Voodoo Down” or the rhythmic interplay on “Spanish Key”—where I found myself fully immersed, even if I couldn’t quite explain what was happening musically. It’s this tension that both draws me in and pushes me away; the music feels alive, unpredictable, and perhaps that’s what makes it both brilliant and inaccessible. What makes it challenging for me? Partly, it’s the sheer length of the tracks, which seem to reject conventional forms in favour of free-flowing exploration. The unconventional instrumentation and lack of melody in the traditional sense also play a role, making it harder to latch onto something familiar. Yet, despite these challenges, I find myself admiring the audacity of Davis and his band, who weren’t afraid to throw listeners into deep, uncharted waters. Ultimately, I respect Bitches Brew more than I enjoy it, but I do enjoy it, and I can’t deny its impact. It’s an album that demands you meet it on its own terms. Don’t worry about fully understanding it. Just let it wash over you, and appreciate the fact that it exists at all—a bold, risk-taking creation from an artist who was never content to stay in one place. Did/Do I own this release? No Does this release belong on the list? A complex, genre-defying statement piece. Not easy, but undoubtedly monumental. Would this release make my personal list? Yes Will I be listening to it again? I will keep trying to crack it

Solid

More like 'Witches Sonic Brew". Not my favourite Miles LP -- in his "free-form" period, for instance I have a stronger lean towards the meditative "In A Silent Way" -- yet you can't deny how groundbreaking the whole thing -- infusing rock and latin tones to jazz -- is. And what a star-studded cast as well. My most preferred contribution within the personnel is Bennie Maupin: his clarinet performance is so dark and ominous! Another "milestone" in a career ripe with them 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 5. 9.5/10 for more general purposes (5/5 for musical competency + 3.5/5 for the artistry + 1 for the ambition and the stellar, incredibly evocative artwork). Number of albums left to review: the 80-ish extra LPs listed on this app, included because different past editions of the book have mentioned albums that have since been dropped in subsequent editions. Number of albums I'll keep in my own list: half, approximately (including this one, I've temporarily lost count here) Number of albums I *might* keep: a small quarter, approximately Number of albums I won't keep: a large quarter

Amazing except the last song kinda felt too all over the place, which says a lot considering how all over the place the album is. I loved it though otherwise

5/10

Jazz - Nice Some of it quite the definition of challenging but quite a bit of the 2nd disc I really enjoyed

🤷‍♂️

I am not sold on 'challenging' jazz

This will be my third Miles Davis album to review, and while I've never listened to it before, I've seen this album cover countless times. I gave both Birth of The Cool and Kind of Blue 4 stars. I went back to see what I wrote about them, but they both came up for me really early on in this project, and I was writing really short reviews then, so I didn't say much more than the fact that I liked it. I see that this album is more experimental that Miles's earlier work, but I'm not very familiar with jazz, so I have no idea how that will translate to my listening experience. I don't know if it was the experimental nature of this album, or just the fact that I'm not very familiar with jazz, but I really couldn't get into this album. It was incredibly long, and the length of the individual songs didn't help my enjoyment. It's not that it was unpleasant to listen to, but it kind of felt like a meal of chicken and rice; it served a purpose, but it didn't offer me anything beyond its pure elements. However, it did grow on me a little bit as it went on, with “John McLaughlin” being my favorite track. I have a few bullet points on each song, but it’s not much: -I liked the piano playing on “Pharaoh's Dance,” but nothing else is jumping out at me. I wish there had been more piano playing -I enjoyed the way the trumpet would pulse in and out on “Bitches Brew.” -The tempo of “Spanish Key” was really good and a nice change of pace -The guitar and bass guitar playing on “John McLaughlin” was really good, and I liked how they interacted with one another. -“Miles Runs the Voodoo Down” has an overall sound that I like. I enjoyed the trumpet and guitar playing off of each other. -The trumpet playing on “Sanctuary” was nice, but there wasn’t much else going on for me. I keep hoping that one of these jazz albums will land with me, and I thought that this might be the one, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. I do want to go back through the Miles Davis albums once I finish this list, but we’ll see if this album gets a re-evaluation someday.

I don’t think I like jazz

I love the sound of this album, but I do not love this album.

Not his best

Elizabeth won't be surprised that I dig this. :-) Truth be told though, Miles' later stuff is much better.

I'm not quite sure how people hear brilliant rhythms in the chaos. But then again some people hear and see patterns that aren't there, and convince themselves the government aliens are coming for them, so there we are.

Am sure very impressive, but experimental jazz just washes over me and I couldn’t say it did much for me

Den er så fed. Miles Runs the Voodoo Down 🤌🤌

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

This was alright.. Quite stressful at times.

This was the jazz album I grew up with. Its a journey through experimental jam jazz. If you like jazz this is great but I can see how if you don’t like jazz this would be a slog. This album is very long and although the songs go through multiple evolutions, it can get very repetitive, especially when the songs are nearly 20 minutes each. However this to me is the definitive Miles Davis album. 9/10

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

Exceptional

A bit too out there and tiresome for me.

Absolute madness

I dig most Miles.

and yes they did brew

Its bitches brew and i got it on boxing day so I couldn't exactly give it the time and attention it deserves. I like jazz and have a few records, but id need a lifetime of listening to understand the intricacies. It gave me enough to pique my interest and will be back.