Creative World was the record label Stan Created after he left Capitol Records at the end of the 60's.
Albums like Birthday in Britain, 7.5 on the Richter Scale, Plays Chicago, and Journey into Capricorn were all released in the 1970's. I particularly like these albums, they have a contemporary feel to them.
I think the younger guys with Kenton during this period opened him up to a less complex and more swinging approach. OK, a little more commercial they are as well.
While no ground breaking is going on with these Creative World albums, Plenty of high quality Modern Big Band is offered. The rock and funk elements show up in some tunes, I like that style though.
Plays Chicago is my favorite of Kenton's 70's albums, nice funky sound updating some of the band Chicago's best tunes.
Kenton's Death-
Near the end of Stan Kenton's life, always a heavy drinker, his martini habit worsened, and in 1977, during one of his binges he fell and hit his head.
From then on it was a steady decline, and finally in august of 1979 Kenton had a major stroke, he did not recover and passed away on August 25, 1979.
He is buried in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, Los Angeles. Kenton's legacy lives on through his compositions. Stan donated all of his music to North Texas State University.
Many compositions have been commissioned over the years, and former band members have kept the music alive with Various tribute concerts.
December 15, 2011 was the 100th anniversary of Stan Kenton's Birth.
Was Buddy Rich the greatest drummer ever? Well, he certainly was one of the best. Buddy was not without his critics.
Some complaints were: Buddy's playing wasn't varied enough, and not delicate enough, perhaps more style than substance?
Buddy was anything but delicate, Buddy's playing was relentless, and the bands he lead were powerful fine tuned machines.
The band Buddy lead in the mid to late 60's was in my opinion, the finest example of a modern big band in a live setting there ever was.
Steeped in tradition, yet not afraid to incorporate more of the popular music styles of the day was Buddy's style. Buddy was a brutal task master though, often berating band members during performances, when he thought they weren't playing at his high level.
If you watch some of the wonderful DVD releases of Buddy's shows, you can certainly see that buddy gave 100 percent at all times, and he expected nothing less from his band.
Buddy influenced so many other drummers, not only in the jazz world, but the world of rock as well. Rush's Neil Peart is an example of that, Buddy could do things most drummers just simply couldn't do, he was one of the few drummers to master the one handed roll with both hands.
I was 19 years old when I first realized Buddy's greatness: Back then I was into hard rock music, I knew drummers like Neil Peart and Tommy Lee were pretty good.
When I watched a 10 minute drum solo Buddy did, and noticed the ease in which he used the kit, the power and variety, I was blown away.
Now of course once I got into other styles of modern jazz I realized that there were other drummers that could rival Buddy. I am biased to Buddy because of my own Fathers love for him, and I always appreciated his no bull-shit attitude.
Even today I can't find a rock drummer his equal, only other Jazz drummers come close, and those drummer's have long since been gone as well. Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, Roy Haynes, and Tony Williams are some of my favorites other than Buddy.
To me, Tony Williams was the greatest groundbreaking drummer of all time, he was on Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch, started with the Davis quintet, before age 20! Buddy though, as a technical ass-kicking drummer was without a doubt, the Boss!
Note: Photo is back cover of the Rich Speak No Evil LP.
Bluing was one of the first CD's I purchased of Miles, It was a logical entry point for me within the Miles Davis discography.
At the time I was into classic blues artists, such as Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. I was looking to broadened my musical horizons, I wanted to look to the past for inspiration.
I knew Bluing would be right up my alley: I remember listening to it on a daily basis for several weeks before I moved on to other Miles stuff.
Now having listened to all this music many times over in its original form, from the albums this CD is compiled from, Bluing is a fantastic compilation of the Prestige sessions. It's Just straight ahead Hard bop, 8 of the 9 tracks are actually from the 1954-1956 time period, and only one from 1951.
The title track is from an all-star compilation called Conception from 1951. The rest of the tracks are drawn from various Prestige albums like Bag's Groove, Conception and Collectors Items.
Ironically though, the most famous Blues possibly of all of his pre Columbia Records years "Walkin" is not included, which is a glaring omission in retrospect.
That Lucky Thompson composed tune just oozes with hard bop swagger, maybe their thinking was to not give away the store with one compilation, but it's nice to hear Jackie McLean and John Coltrane with Miles in their early stages of development.
Both McLean and Coltrane definitely still have influences of Charlie Parker and Dexter Gordon in their sound on these 1950's tracks.
If you are just now trying to warm up to the sound of small group jazz, I think Bluing does an admiral job of easing you into the style. You can always go further into the catalog later on.
Quiet Nights was an album Miles was not pleased with upon its release.
In fact, he was furious that Columbia Records and producer Teo Macero patched enough music together to release a brief album of what Miles considered an inferior rough draft of stuff from the cutting room floor.
Miles was also looking for Someone to replace Hank Mobley as the tenor man in the group, Mobley replaced Coltrane in the working band.
Hank did not bring enough revolutionary ideas to the band to satisfy Miles.
Hank is a fine hard bop player, probably one of the most underrated of all time. In fact, his Blue Note releases are really quite remarkable the high quality... but I must concede he never did fit in with Miles for some reason.
Other than a few tracks on 1968's Files de Kilimanjaro, Quiet Nights would be the last time Gil and Miles would work together, or at least lay anything to tape anyway.
Gil went on to form his own large orchestra, his impulse album Out of the Cool, is a spectacular album on Impulse that every jazz collector must own.
Gil recorded many fine albums throughout 60's, 70's, and 80's. Many of Gil's Albums fused rock and funk elements.
One of the more unusual albums is the RCA Label issue,Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix, this is an album that actually has a version of "Voodoo Chile" (Slight Return) where Howard Johnson Plays the intro on tuba! Yes a tuba, and it is quite remarkable how well he pulls it off. Quiet Nights may be uneven, but still pretty good to my ears.
Was Coltrane the greatest saxophonist of them all? In only 10 years time, John Coltrane went from being an undependable band mate, and good saxophonist; to being a mythical figure in jazz, and undoubtedly the best there ever was.
Volumes have been written about who the greatest saxophonist of all time was, many insist Coleman Hawkins was the greatest, perhaps Lester Young or Charlie Parker?
Coltrane albums like A Love Supreme, Ascension, and Giant Steps were each one unique and groundbreaking, and transcended jazz.
For other saxophonists, Trane's new developments on the instrument nearly destroyed the egos of players like Sonny Rollins, who himself had to cope with being eclipsed as the most groundbreaking tenor player of his own era
...But, before 1958, Trane was on a rocky road, he was fired by the great trumpeter/band leader Miles Davis because of his continued heroin use...
Pre 1958 Coltrane
During this period, Coltrane was not considered the pinnacle for tenor saxophonists, this title would go to the great Sonny Rollins, who had deservedly made his bones in that regard since the early 50's.
Coltrane's own Prestige label work really comes off as derivative bop jazz in my opinion except the stunningly good Lush Life "pictured". It's always high quality, but nothing that sets its self apart from the groundbreaking bop he made with the Davis 1st Quintet. Actually Coltrane teamed up with Rollins on a Prestige LP Tenor Madness, that is really good and should be heard as well.
Of course Coltrane's lone Blue Note album Blue Train is a classic and made in 1957, so it's quite clear Coltrane could hold his own with other cock sure instrumentalists like trumpeter Lee Morgan and trombonist Curtis Fuller. Trane just had one hurdle to clear mentally before saxophone immortality.
How did John Coltrane ultimately beat heroin?
It has always amazed me how Coltrane was able to beat his Heroin addiction, when others like Charlie Parker, Chet Baker, Art Pepper, and Dexter Gordon Struggled so mightily with it.
It seems the only way to beat an addiction is "habit replacement", preferably a new positive addiction. A valuable lesson for all of us.
When Miles Davis battled heroin during the mid 50's, he locked himself in his father's barn for days until the urges subsided. Miles continued with other substances like cocaine and alcohol throughout his life however, but they never became his true love.
Many heroin addicts must be on methadone maintenance the rest of their lives, Coltrane was able to kick heroin as well as tobacco later on, he just made a incontrovertible decision in his life. Miles and Coltrane simply said, that-was-it with that type of albatross, music became his addiction.
John Coltrane became completely obsessed with his music, and trying to get closer to god, studying diverse forms of eastern spirituality. During his final phase of recording, his music after 1965 became almost otherworldly in scope.
This free jazz avant-garde music is not for the faint of heart, it is an acquired taste. Free jazz was and is the ultimate niche music, there seems to be no middle ground, you either love it, or you despise it.
I have always felt, listening to albums like Ascension, Sun ship, and Interstellar Space, that Coltrane was baring his soul, not too many times have I felt this when listening to a music.
Monk, Blue Train, and sheets of sound
1957 was the year things began to really take off for Coltrane: He records with Thelonious Monk, and does a stint at the Five Spot, and records his first truly landmark recording as a leader Blue Train which incorporated the famous Coltrane changes.
Coltrane started using something, a device that writer Ira Gitler coined in 1958 as "sheets of sound.
This was basically a very dense and fast use of arpeggios. Not unlike what shred guitarists might do in rock music.
This set his jazz contemporaries on notice, by 1960 Coltrane would be so far advanced, only the great Charlie Parker could even be mentioned in the same breath, when considering the amount of revolutionary changes brought to the instrument, and later the soprano sax as well.
Blue Train (Recorded on Sept 15, 1957)
Blue Train was an album that came out of nowhere. Recorded during the time he was working with Thelonious Monk, Blue Train is an album where Coltrane's writing and playing seemed to take a monumental leap.
3 jazz standards, "Moments Notice", "Lazy Bird", and the title track, show a real growth for the leader. The title track "Blue Train" is actually one the greatest hard bop tunes in history, with one of the most recognizable themes ever.
There is something about have Coltrane match wits with trumpeter Lee Morgan and trombonist Curtis Fuller, who both with Coltrane form a wonderfully perfect front line.
Outside of Art Blakey's Moanin (Blue Note 4003) I can't think of another album that captures the spirit of independent jazz label Blue Note Records like Blue Train does.
It's a shame Blue Train was the only album as a leader Coltrane did for Blue Note. It would be a full 2 years before Coltrane's revolutionary album Giant Steps would be released.
In the mean time though, Coltrane would re-join Miles Davis and create history as a side-man with Miles' epic 1959 album Kind of Blue, widely considered the greatest modern jazz album of all-time.
My Favorite Things and the rise of the soprano sax
Recorded in October of 1960 and released in March 1961 My Favorite Things was an album of standards, with none composed by Coltrane.
What Coltrane did do though, was re-work the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic "My Favorite Things" into a world music hypnotic waltz time vamp of nearly 14 minutes.
Coltrane brought the rarely used in jazz instrument, the soprano saxophone to the forefront on the album.
Only Sidney Bichet, Steve Lacy, and Lucky Thompson were of any real note on the instrument prior.. Coltrane was actually demonstrating a virtuosity rivaling his tenor playing right away. I have really grown to appreciate this aspect of Coltrane's playing. In my opinion only Steve Lacy comes close to Coltrane in scope on the soprano, you could twist my arm and get me to say they are equals. I respect the late Steve Lacy immensely.
My favorite Coltrane soprano tune is "Afro Blue" from the Live at Birdland album, I just love the way he incorporates various world musics into his sound when showcasing the soprano.
A Love Supreme
A Love Supreme is quite simply an other worldly listening experience for a serious jazz fan. If you find your way into modern jazz, this will be a landmark for you in your jazz journey.
Along with Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, It's considered a cornerstone of
Coltrane's quartet of McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums performs a tightly composed piece of devotional music.
Trane is on a roll here, In complete control of his inner self, beating heroin years earlier and completely devoting himself to god; and this is the musical expression of that journey.
From the opening fan fare, the a-love-supreme chanting bass line lifts you up to perhaps the same spiritual heights as Coltrane himself felt creating the music?
Interstellar Space
Interstellar Space is a duet between drummer Rashied Ali and John Coltrane. An album that really grew on me after repeated plays, It's such a stripped down album with Coltrane at the top of his game.
Technically some of the things he does here are from another world, its hard to imagine the instrument being pushed any further, its almost as if God was speaking through him. I will concede this type of music seem to have a spontaneous way it grabs the listener. I think this type of music would be like nails to a chalkboard for many.
Rashied Ali is an often overlooked drummer because he replaced the great Elvin Jones. His playing is just as powerful, and maybe even more complex. Ali was perfectly suited for Coltrane during this period. Ali passed away in 2009.
The 60's Belonged to Trane
After the release of the classic Giant Steps in 1960, Coltrane did a stint at the Village Vanguard with Eric Dolphy for Impulse Records. The early 60's saw Impulse Records, and piggy backed Atlantic releases reach classic status almost immediately.
The Village Vanguard sessions received mixed reviews at the time, as many people couldn't get what Coltrane was trying to do with the relentless wall of notes approach on tracks like "Chaisin' the Train".
After a brief commercial bent, with album like Ballads, and albums with Duke Ellington and singer Johnny Hartman, Coltrane ran off a series of quartet albums that set the standard for quartet modern jazz in the 60's.
Other than the 60's Miles Davis quintet, the Coltrane quartet is the real bell-weather for post bop jazz groups, even today.
A Love Supreme sold 500,000 copies by 1970, an astounding number for a record that is not in the slightest way easy listening. A Love Supreme is actually mildly avant-garde and shows Trane playing with as much passion and fire as anything that was considered free jazz in his final 2 years.
The Final Period:
The final 2 years Coltrane created a template for Free Jazz, unfortunately that music is equally derided as it's applauded. His albums like Sun Ship and Ascension are incredible free form statements.
Considering what Coltrane did, beating heroin, and becoming the greatest saxophonist who ever lived; he is a living testament to what a human being can do if they are willing to work hard and devote absolutely to its positive outcome.
Coltrane said he wanted to become a saint. For the world of jazz, and those struggling with addiction, he did indeed become that.
John Coltrane passed away on July 17, 1967 of liver cancer at the age of 40. In ten y
Nearly 50 years after his death, no saxophonist has even come close to equaling what Trane did in those 10 short years as a leader and sideman after conquering his demons.
*All photos my own or used with permission via Amazon.com.
Once I was sucked into the electric music of Miles Davis after hearing Bitches Brew for the first time, I developed a thirst for other similar music. I will reveal those albums below.
The Electric Period of Miles Davis 1968 to 1975 is my favorite of the Davis time periods.
That's not to slight the other periods, the Gil Evans collaboration from 1958 Porgy & Bess happens to be my favorite Miles Davis album. All the time periods were so fruitful with groundbreaking music, you're are splitting hairs trying to pick only one.
Bitches Brew features open ended combinations of jazz, rock, and funk, with a particular free avant garde style that keeps the music abstract to some extent, without going into the pure commercial jazz funk realm.
Many of the sidemen who appeared on Bitches Brew created other albums in the style, artists like Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock, and Larry Young. Artists like Ian Carr and Eddie Henderson made a living with their own takes on this style.
Emphasis needed:
For my list below, I have not chosen generic jazz rock albums. There are many great albums from Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return to Forever that are their own thing and a completely different style, even though Miles undoubtedly opened the door for this music to be commercially viable, and worth producing to the record companies.
For this article I have added only albums that capture the mood of Bitches Brew. Music that may be funky but not overtly funky, music that is spacious and at times avant-garde.
When analyzing Bitches Brew you realize this was not at all commercial sell-out music. Its not easy listening and demands your attention. I've tried to focus on this thought process when selecting the albums below.
Here is a list of albums I have come to enjoy, some as much as Bitches Brew its self:
Note: Albums with a link to Amazon.com are my top picks. Miles Davis: The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions
This 4 CD set more than any other is what you're looking for. From the man himself, nearly 2 discs of unreleased at the time music from the sessions. Some of this also appeared on the Davis album Big Fun. The same vibe obviously throughout the box.
Herbie Hancock: Crossings
Herbie Hancock: Mwandishi: The Complete Warner Brothers Recordings
This set gives you all the music Herbie recorded for Warner Bros from 1969 to 1972. Crossings Mwandishi, and the soundtrack to Fat Albert Rotunda. The latter being more of a jazz funk commercial piece that foreshadowed the Headhunters music to come in the Mid 70's.
The former, are indispensable examples of this style of music, but with Hancock's original unique take on the music. In Many ways, I consider this music as the definitive example, if not better and more fully realized than Bitches Brew its self. Eddie Henderson on trumpet shines brightly on Mwandishi and Crossings..
Herbie Hancock: Sextant
Sextant is a transition alum, showing nearly the perfect balance of the Bitches Brew style and the Headhunters more commercial music to come.
Weather Report: Weather Report, and I Sing The Body Electric.
Soft Machine: Third
Miles Davis: Bootleg Box number 2
Mike Westbrook: Metropolis
Ian Carr's Nucleus (Many to choose from)
It should be noted, many of Carr's albums during the 70's leaned more toward the funky sound of "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" side of Bitches Brew and not the spaced-out Title Track or "Pharaoh's Dance" style. Carr was one of the first to dedicate his music almost entirely to the Davis electric period. All of these albums are worth having, I have them all and all offer their own unique surprises.
Other Albums from today influenced by Bitches Brew. Some of these are straight tribute albums but completely worthy of a listen, and a few must haves for your jazz rock collection. Lettuce:Witches Stew
Radiohead: OK Computer
Radiohead? Well, many have commented, including the band how influential Bitches Brew was on this record. Personally I have found that connection is purely in mood. Playing the records side by side will not inspire an epiphany on the subject
After a time I was able to understand the connection. It's all about vibe, a chilly desolate mood that does make sense when compared together.
This rendition of "Strange Fruit" is performed by the great African American jazz singer Billie Holiday.
It has been about 15 years since I first heard the song, and it was a life changing moment for me.
The song was originally an anti-lynching poem written by Jewish writer Abel Meeropol, the original title was Bitter Fruit.
Meeropol wrote the poem after seeing this horrific photo of a 1930 lynching in Marion Indiana.
When I was in my early 20's, long before I had enough years behind me, I had an ignorant viewpoint that many people have in America: I did not have the knowledge of the first hand accounts of Jim Crow, or even modern day racism for that matter.
I couldn't grasp the magnitude of it all, the centuries of degradation? It has only been 50 years since the civil rights act was passed, it's unreasonable to expect those scars to have healed in only half of a century.
When you understand, that if things are better today, the residual effects of Jim Crow remain to this very day. Racism hides behind many guises, and even if you personally don't harbor those views, being able to accept it's a real cloud hanging over the African American community might allow you to look at it differently.
It was hard, maybe impossible to understand what whites only water fountains meant to a people, when I or my family never experienced that. I didn't understand how institutional racism, that treats it's victims as if they are sub-human, leaves deep scars that perhaps never heal.
While I will never completely understand it, "Strange Fruit" was the first time I felt at my core what that feeling might be for African Americans... that feeling of being alone in the world, being lost in a place made for you, not by you.
This feeling of being lost, combined with Jim Crow racism, must create a desperate lonely feeling inside for many African Americans. Perhaps recognizing this truth can allow you to just get a little sense of what it was, and at the very least be aware of it. At least you can't say you weren't told about it.
*Intro photo: Used with permission, viaAmazon.com*
Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday April 20, 1939
What can I do? What can you do?
"Strange Fruit" opened a door for me, a new way to look at not just my own life, but the whole world in general. I began searching out black history, not just the civil rights era, but also art and music.
I was drawn naturally to jazz and blues music, and because of that, I wanted to learn about those people who made the music.
As I have read biographies about great African-Americans like Miles Davis and Duke Ellington, and those Civil Rights Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. I was for the first time able to get a sense of what African Americans went through, and possibly find that empathy that so many people lack.
When I think about that infamous Birdland incident involving Miles Davis, being beaten outside the nightclub, bloodied just because he didn't move along fast enough to suit a racist cop. Davis at that time, may have been the most famous jazz artist in the world, but that title meant very little then because he was a famous"black" artist.
The great Miles Davis couldn't even smoke a cigarette outside the club where he was playing that very night. I began to really get angry inside about it. I thought, here I am angry about a photo of Miles Davis, imagine how the entire culture feels living through such things that are still so fresh in the mind?
No matter what the reasons, that's irrelevant, they are the feelings and emotions human beings who view life trough the prism racism.
The Moral of this story:
I know I won't change this world much in the long run, but empathy doesn't cost much, perhaps just eating a slice of humble pie once in a while can allow you at the very least to understand and accept some basic truths?
There is courage in challenging your beliefs, test them against other viewpoints, and you just might find in the end, that you had it wrong, or at least it isn't as cut and dried as you thought it was.
I am always looking for the latest take on the music of Miles Davis. In particular I dig the music paying homage to the Davis electric period.
That 1968 to 1975 music from Miles lends its self to interpretation very well. Bands who think outside the box work best, as long as they don't venture off to far from the vibe.
Lettuce, a band that hails from Boston Massachusetts, was formed in 1992 and paid its dues on the New York, Chicago, and San Francisco club scene.
Their first album was 2002's Outta Here. Witches Stew, released in 2017 pays off in a big way if you are an open minded jazz funk listener.
It took about 30 seconds for me to know I'd like this album, as the Milesian vibe is laid down very quickly. Ironically I feel this album more closely in sound resembles Miles' In A Silent Way. The production very much reminds me of that album, very clean and spacey.
Witches Stew is actually a very good amalgam of both In A Silent Way, and Bitches Brew with Lettuce's unique take on the music.
Those that are familiar with progressive rock band Hawkwind and Gong will note a well defined similarity in some of the "spacier" elements that do bring to mind the space rock genre.
Lots of swirling synthesizers, and noodling electric piano, they do a wonderful job at letting the music breathe. Their take on the tracks like "In A Silent Way" and "It's About That Time" work very well in expanding the language of Miles.
The funk element is not over pronounced, this fact might worry some, but the two album that this album focuses on are not jazz funk flag wavers at all. In Miles' case those albums In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew were more of a yin yang to each other.
Silent from 1969, is a tighter if not lighter album, where 1970's Bitches Brew, though with some funkier flourishes, does go way out into the outer reaches of avant-garde styles. Not at all an easy listen for novices.
Witches Stew seems to round off the edges of the Bitches Brewstyles here, this is why I feel the music is spiritually closer to In A Silent Way. That's not a knock at all, the album works well, and in fact, out side of some of the Bob Belden tributes of this music, is as good as I've heard.
Also albums from the early 70's like On The Corner and A Tribute to Jack Johnson are given the Lettuce treatment. Again very faithful to the original music. Yet enough of their own thing to be surprised here and there. The even go into the 80's with a track "Jean Pierre", that track has the mist faithful to Miles trumpet playing as well.
Do I recommend Witches Stew, of course I do, if you like Miles' electric period music, you'll enjoy this, and you just might dig into Lettuce's back catalog, I know I will.
It's amazing Mile's electric music, that music keeps on speaking to musicians from multi genres like no other I can think of. As much as I love the classics like Kind of Blue, the electric period seems to be more relevant today, if I even dare say that!
Lettuce understands how great Miles' electric period was and is, and only now 40 years later is the music getting the treatment it so richly deserves. It's not really jazz, just damn good music... just like Witches Stew.
You might be pleasantly surprised to find out that because of Miles Davis' popularity, a ready supply of vintage vinyl is still out there for you to enjoy.
You won't have to use your rent money either to add good stuff to your own collection.
Even the rarest of rare 50's Prestige copies aren't completely out of hand price wise.
You can still as of the date of this post get most of them for less $1000 in mint condition, and nice play copies graded very good (VG) for half price or better than its mint counterpart.
The real deal is in the Mass produced Columbia vinyl, you can get a 1st press of Kind of Blue easily for less than 100 bucks. Porgy & Bess, Milestones, and Sketches of Spain for a little less.
As you move through the Davis catalog the prices get cheaper of course, with the great 60's quintet albums like E S P, and Miles Smiles, found for 20 bucks all the time. The fusion albums of the late 60's like Bitches Brew and A Tribute to Jack Johnson can be had at
similar prices.
The quadraphonic mix copies will set back a bit more. One exception price wise are some of the Japan only releases like Black Beauty and Dark Magus, these particular copies can set you back over $100.
I know because I needed Dark Magus to complete my Columbia collection of 1st press Miles LP's. So as it turned out, being passionate about Miles did not hurt my pocket all that much, especially once I realized most first press Blue Notes would be completely out of my league.
There is no shame either in running down lesser condition vinyl, records graded VG+ or VG can still sound very good, especially the 70's rock and funk jazz albums.
By 1970 Miles Davis was a house hold name, and had been such for more than 10 years, Davis had all ready changed jazz at least 4 times before, but nothing could prepare the jazz establishment for this.
A dark brooding double album of in your face "I don't care what you critics think" music. A brand of music that shook off the jazz tradition, grabbed what it needed from the rock, and the avant-garde, BUT could not be easily classified in ANY genre terms.
I remember the first time I heard Bitches Brew, I was completely in awe. I had only recently discovered modern jazz back in the mid-90's, bassist producer Bill Laswell came out with an electric period re-mix album of Davis jazz rock; I don't think even one Bitches Brew track shows up on there, But Panthalassa wet my appetite for more electric Miles.
Bitches Brew though, was the point where any preconceived notions I had about Miles Davis being just a straight ahead jazz musician were shattered forever.
Quadraphonic LP, Columbia 2 EYE Pressings, or Current Reissues? What about CD's and Downloads?
After I became such a modern jazz and jazz rock fan, I began collecting vinyl in the mid 2000's, nothing quite like finding these treasures and hearing them in the format they were intended. The huge 12 inch art work, by comparison makes CD's seem pointless.
Vinyl's warm analog sound can also make the CD's digital compression, and brightness sound like garbage when comparing vintage recordings, things have improved in that regard. Though I do listen to CD's and Downloads along with vinyl, I am not a snob, I just prefer vinyl in most cases.
For the purposes of this post, I thought it might be interesting to listen consecutively to all my vinyl copies of Bitches Brew and give a report on which is the best sounding.
I have listened to each of these a few times each at least, with the Quad pressing easily being my favorite, but honestly I was surprised at the results paying close attention:
Quad Vinyl Bitches Brew
The quadraphonic pressing has been my favorite overall as I mentioned, even without the vintage equipment, "as long as the pressing says QS or SQ and not CD4, you do not need a quad decoder". I was startled at how the trumpet really had some echo added, and the bass seemed much punchier.
I really like the quad mix, the sound stage seem to open up to really fill your room, Some have complained that the high-end can get a bit bright. I think they are confused, because the bass is crisp and not as muddy as the regular stereo mix.
1970 Columbia 2 Eye, 12 Sides of Miles, and 40th Anniversary Box
Honestly the Columbia 2 eye vintage copy and the (12 Sides of Miles Box) set sounded about the same, pretty good, but not like the Quad pressing.
The biggest surprise here is the 40th anniversary box set vinyl copy, I had only listened to it once, but was impressed, the second time around had me thinking, "Man I think I prefer this over the vintage 2 eye copy".
I hate to say it, knowing that the quad pressing is sort of not authentic in how it was meant to sound, "My Hypothesis", I think I might recommend the 40th Anniversary box as the way to get this music.
The bass on the 40th set's vinyl is deep and crisp, not too muddy, and crystal clear, no complaints at all. I realize you don't get any little odd studio quirks like on the quad pressing. But hell you can get this 40th set cheaper than a quad pressing, and you get it on CD, a DVD concert, and a nice book and bonuses. Quadraphonic Sampler with Miles Runs the Voodoo Down
I also added the quad sampler if you noticed, "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" is on that sampler, and WOW, this was a shock, I found that record in a .99 cent bin at a local Cincinnati Ohio record shop, the cover's beat, but vinyl is near mint.
This sampler quad copy's Voodoo, sounds nothing like the full album pressing I have, This is has a seriously different echo and effects on the trumpet to my ears, the bass is fatter toned too. I wonder why the sound difference?
You can get a quad pressing of Bitches Brew in the $50-$100 range, and an original vintage copy, for less than $50 in near mint condition. The 40th Anniversary box will run you about 50 bucks as well, shop around, you can get a deal.
By the way: If you'd like to read some more thoughts about Miles Davis and his Jazz Rock, this article would be great place to start.
Herbie Hancock is a legend, no real scoop in that statement, huh? The Pianist has been a part of all the ground breaking developments in Jazz for better than 50 years.
First on his own for Blue Note, then as part of the second great quintet of Miles Davis.
While a part of that legendary group, he released some of the all time classics of jazz for that very same Blue Note label, Maiden Voyage and Empyrean Isles to name a few.
Then When Miles had his restless spirit get the better of him, Herbie participated in the landmark jazz rock albums, In a Silent way and Bitches Brew.
By the end of 1969 Herbie needed to get his own experimental band together, that band, Mwandishi Created some of the most fully realized experimental jazz rock of the last 40 years. You can learn a whole lot more via the Bob Gluck Mwandishi band book that's pictured to the left.
Three experimental albums under the Mwandishi name:
Only 3 albums spread across two labels for this band: Mwandishi and Crossings for Warner Brothers, and Sextant for Columbia. Mwandishi, a Swahili name that Herbie adopted; along with the other members of the band, Bassist Mchezaji / Buster Williams, Drummer Jabali / Billy Hart, trumpeter Mganga / Eddie Henderson, saxophonist Mwile / Bennie Maupin, and Saxophonist Ndugu / Leon Chancler.
This Mwandishi band was Smokin' Hot, laying down some of the wildest electro funky space jazz ever recorded. The music is not as funky in a commercial sense, like the Headhunters bands were. The music was Wide open Like Bitches Brew, and could be as ethereal as In a Silent Way.
In some spots this music is quite open to free jazz, just a bubbling cauldron of music that still sounds modern and contemporary today; if you like challenging music and have open ears, please do yourself a favor and judge for yourself .
Mwandishi:
Mwandishi was recorded almost entirely at Rudy Van Gelder studios in Englewood New Jersey. Recorded in December of 1969.
The 21 minute Wondering Spirit Song, a Julian Priester composition, and the center piece of the album is roller coaster ride of a tune.
It ebbs and flows, building up tension and then releasing it, the track reminds me of Miles Davis's In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew. Some very avant-garde leanings also on this track.
Ostinato, a 15/8 rhythm, and the most overtly funky track on the album, and "You'll Know When you Get There", an ethereal Hancock composition that shows off the ballad voicing of Herbie to a tee.
Crossings:
Crossings, released in May of 1972 is the album where Dr. Patrick Gleeson is brought on board with his Moog Synthesizer. Herbie initially just wanted Gleason to set up the Moog for him to play.
Herbie was extremely impressed with Gleason, so Herbie directed Gleason to do the overdubs, and he joined the band as member.
The 25 minute "Sleeping giant" is the centerpiece of this album. "Sleeping Giant" points toward the Headhunters Band, with it's monster funk grooves.
Herbie's Fender Rhodes piano is all over the map on this track, "Sleeping Giant" is my favorite Mwandishi Band track. "Quasar" and "Water Torture", are full of Gleason's wild effects.
These two tracks are the most free and experimental of anything they did in my opinion. I dare say this track is as good as anything Miles Did in the 70's, and Eddie Henderson on trumpet does his bet Miles' fusion style playing of his career.
Sextant:
While not a Mwandishi band album proper, the sound and feel of the music do seem to carry over to the new label.
Sextant released in 1973 was Herbie's first recording for Columbia Records, a very similar album to Crossings, all be it, more in line with Sleeping Giant, with a definite look toward the funk commercialism to come.
This time Gleason uses an Arp synthesizer instead of the Moog. Hornets is the epic this time, with a real African element, a brutal vibe, then a beautiful vibe, all most at the same time.
A real dark modal track, reaches for the future but also reaches back to miles, ala' In a Silent Way. This albums seems a bit uneven to me. It's still great, but it feels like a transition album, as it turns out, it was.
The band was stripped down to a quartet. Herbie was only one album away from commercial super stardom with Headhunters.
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