Bitches Brew
Miles Davis's electric landmark album, recorded in 1969.
Bitches Brew is a studio album by the American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis. 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 Davis's continuing experimentation with electric instruments. The album initially received a mixed critical and commercial response but later gained recognition as one of jazz's greatest albums and a progenitor of the jazz rock genre.
- artist
- Miles Davis
- release_date
- March 30, 1970
- recording_dates
- August 19–21, 1969
- label
- Columbia Records
- genre
- Jazz rock, jazz fusion
- peak_chart_position
- No. 35 on U.S. Billboard 200
- certifications
- Gold (1976), Platinum (2003) by RIAA
Lore & Background
By 1969, Davis's core working band consisted of Wayne Shorter, Dave Holland, Chick Corea, and Jack DeJohnette. For Bitches Brew, Davis expanded the group to include Joe Zawinul, John McLaughlin, Larry Young, Lenny White, Don Alias, Juma Santos, and Bennie Maupin. Davis presented simple chord lines and musical sketches, allowing the musicians to improvise freely. The sessions were recorded live with no overdubs, and Davis gave instructions during quieter passages, audible on the final tracks.
Reader's Guide
Bitches Brew is significant for its pioneering use of studio technology and rhythmic innovation. Producer Teo Macero edited and pieced together the final tracks, using tape loops, delays, reverb, and extensive splicing—the title track contains 15 edits, and 'Pharaoh's Dance' contains 19. The rhythm section featured two bassists, two to three drummers, two to three electric piano players, and a percussionist, all playing simultaneously. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 1971 and was certified Gold in 1976 and Platinum in 2003. In 2025, it was deemed culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry.
Did You Know?
- The album was recorded over three days, from August 19 to 21, 1969, at Columbia's Studio B in New York City.
- Producer Teo Macero edited the tracks using tape loops, delays, and reverb; 'Miles Runs the Voodoo Down' is the only track without any editing.
- The album won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 1971.
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