‘The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions’ is a bit of a
misnomer, and one that has drawn some small negative criticism its way. The
music for ‘Bitches Brew’ was recorded over three very productive days in August
of 1969, much like ‘In A Silent Way’ before it. Also, just as with ‘In A Silent
Way’, it was for the most part constructed from music cut, spliced and looped
by Miles Davis and producer Teo Macero. And for years fans argued (with both
albums) whether or not the original master material was unheard genius, and
Macero had ruined Miles’ work, or whether the original material was so bad, so
unlistenable, that Macero had effectively salvaged the recordings and had gone
unthanked.
When the ‘In A Silent Way’ complete sessions were
eventually released as a box set, fans finally got to hear, for the first time
ever, the original master tapes, before any cutting or editing work. Teo Macero
furiously bemoaned their release, making it clear that Miles would not want any
of this unreleased ‘work in progress’ material released, and neither did he
himself. The more he protested though, the more the fans salivated. Where
earlier box sets had given the listener unreleased snippets and takes, or even
in some case whole entire unreleased songs, this was going to give the fans complete
and whole material by Miles, as he’d played and recorded it, before it had been
‘hacked to ribbons’, and then ‘pasted back together’.
In fact, what the untouched material showed when it
was eventually heard was that the original finished album released back in 1969
was perfect, and that the previously unreleased ‘demos’, while interesting,
were incomplete. They were a curio, but musically, nowhere close to what had
already been given to us.
What this four-disc box-set gives us though is very
different. The complete six tracks from the original album sit proudly at the
front, but there are no demo tracks or untouched fragments that would later
make up the legendary album. What we instead get is three hours of unreleased
material from recording sessions five months later in 1970. So not quite ‘The
Complete Bitches Brew’ then, but more some additional largely unheard music
recorded by most of the same musicians recorded sometime later that was
probably quite difficult for the record label to package and market as a
standalone release. Whether the criticism of this naming stands or not, this
music is incredible, and the fact it remained in Columbias vaults for
twenty-five years is testament to Miles’ quality control.
Including pieces from the previously released ‘Big
Fun’, the overall package thematically contains the last presence of multiple
keyboards. Later Miles would make his music much more guitar heavy, and
eventually lose the keyboards altogether (unlike other jazz and funk acts who conversely
were losing guitars to add more keyboards). These sessions were to be no
‘Bitches Brew 2’ though, and Miles sought to change direction again. For these
sessions he chose the sitar and classical Indian influences.
‘Great Expectations’ and its segue ‘Orange Lady’ is
a key track well-worth its inclusion, with its prowling bass, sinister trumpet
and washes of sitar. Brooding and funky, it’s a truly awesome piece of music
and shows a potential future direction, that though tantalizing was obviously considered
by Miles to have no future. David Crosbys ‘Guinnevere’ too gets a beautiful,
though barely recognizable, sitar laden remake.
‘Corrado’ and ‘The Little Blue Frog’ are great funk
numbers that hint at what actual path Miles would later take, although here perhaps
more lush, while ‘Recollections’ and ‘Lonely Fire’ feature such incredible
solos, it’s a wonder that these weren’t released or at least edited into other
tracks later on.
For the most part, the new music here differs in
sound to the older more well-known ‘Bitches Brew’ material. While still possessing
a dense sound, where ‘Bitches Brew’ was dark, murky, at times almost
claustrophobic in sound, the newer pieces here appear more lush, and more in
the direction of jazz-funk than the earlier jazz-rock. Ignore the complainers –
this is vital and exciting music, helping show us the linking music between
‘Bitches Brew’ and the later funk-heavy sound Miles would adopt. Its release
here, in a lavish presentation book with superb artwork, photographs and essays,
is a cause for celebration.
*****
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