Bitches Brew

Bitches Brew is one of those albums that transcends its parts. It is only the whole that functions. Widely considered one of the pioneering jazz-fusion records, it helped formulate a genre that still influences the aesthetic of western music today. Like its more mild-mannered kin, Davis's "In a Silent Way," "Bitches Brew" combines rock and roll instrumentation with psychedelic ambience and funky jazz rhythms. The result is a fascinating, frightening denial of what was acceptable in music before "Bitches Brew" came along.

Davis would not likely have been able to pull off such a bizarre musical aesthetic had he not had the band to flesh out his vision. John McLaughlin's guitar fills in the beat with angular, lightening quick staccato slashes, whereas Benny Maupin's bass clarinet chimes in with deep, Egyptian sustains. The three man electric piano combination of Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul and Larry Young give the album a dreamlike undercurrent that provides the tracks with soft fluidity amidst the violent rhythms. Given how loose the structures of the songs are, they may have fallen apart were it not for the funky, sophisticated rhythmic backbone that drummers Jack DeJohnette and Billy Cobham provide.

The track, "Bitches Brew," pulsates as the groove alternates between tight and quick and slow and mood, and explodes when Miles's delayed trumpet bursts in unexpectedly. "Pharaoh's Dance" chugs along and slowly builds until musical chaos ensues. "Spanish Key" opens with one of the coolest beats anyone is likely to hear, and showcases the funky side of the band. "Sanctuary" juxtaposes the ambient and smooth with harsh and chaotic, and the listener never knows what will come next.

This album deserves more than a simple reading of a review. The sound is simply too strange and eclectic to accurately describe. Do yourself a favor and step into the bizarre world of "Bitches Brew," if even for a brief time. You might learn something. And if it terrifies you, well at least you tried.