Bitches Brew

Bitches Brew
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 30, 1970 (1970-03-30)[1]
RecordedAugust 19–21, 1969
StudioColumbia 52nd Street (New York City)
Genre
Length93:57
LabelColumbia
ProducerTeo Macero
Miles Davis chronology
Miles in Tokyo
(1969)
Bitches Brew
(1970)
Miles Davis at Fillmore
(1970)

Bitches Brew is a studio album by the American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis. It was recorded from August 19 to 21, 1969, at Columbia's Studio B in New York City and released on March 30, 1970, by Columbia Records. It marked his continuing experimentation with electric instruments that he had featured on his previous record, the critically acclaimed In a Silent Way (1969). With these instruments, such as the electric piano and guitar, Davis departed from traditional jazz rhythms in favor of loose, rock-influenced arrangements based on improvisation. The final tracks were edited and pieced together by producer Teo Macero.

The album initially received a mixed critical and commercial response, but it gained momentum and became Davis's highest-charting album on the U.S. Billboard 200, peaking at No. 35. In 1971, it won a Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album.[7] In 1976, it became Davis's first gold album to be certified by the Recording Industry Association of America.[8][9]

In subsequent years, Bitches Brew gained recognition as one of jazz's greatest albums and a progenitor of the jazz rock genre, as well as a major influence on rock and '70s crossover musicians.[4] In 1998, Columbia released The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions,[10] a four-disc box set that includes the original album and previously unreleased material. In 2003, the album was certified platinum, reflecting shipments of one million copies.

  1. ^ Miles Davis.com
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Garry was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Spencer, Neil (September 4, 2010). "Miles Davis: The muse who changed him, and the heady Brew that rewrote jazz". The Guardian. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Jurek was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Hoskyns, Barney (March 8, 2016). Small Town Talk: Bob Dylan, The Band, Van Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Friends in the Wild Years of Woodstock. Da Capo Press. p. 227. ISBN 9780306823213.
  6. ^ Forrest, Ben. "Miles Davis explained how "prejudice" fuelled his music". Far Out. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Past Winners Search | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  8. ^ Bitches Brew: Miles Davis' Shot Heard 'Round the Jazz World – ColumbiaJazz Archived 2008-07-05 at the Wayback Machine. Columbia. Retrieved on 2008-08-30.
  9. ^ Miles Electric: A Different Kind of Blue (DVD) – PopMatters. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2008-08-30.
  10. ^ Bush, John (2011). "The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions (August 1969 – February 1970) – Miles Davis | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 8 August 2011.