Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
We spin a reissue of the Miles Davis classic Bitches Brew from the audiophile specialists at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab.
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew - (Mobile Fidelity Ultradisc One-Step Pressing)
The music of Miles Davis in particular lends itself to being heard in the highest fidelity possible and with that in mind it's no wonder that the audiophile label Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, fondly known as MoFi, has a dozen Davis titles in their catalog with this latest being presented in their Ultradisc One-Step Pressing series. Some jazzbos wondered just exactly what Davis was up to when
Bitches Brew came out in 1970; it was probably not his intention but what Miles was in fact doing was laying the groundwork for the fusion jazz movement which would soon burgeon. The centerpiece of the album, not surprisingly, is the lengthy title cut. "Bitches Brew" is a fusion cut that has Davis's horn parping and sounding like it's floating in from outer space at song's beginning; after the trippy intro the band, with Wayne Shorter on soprano sax, Lenny White on drums, Bernie Maupin on bass clarinet, Chick Corea on electric piano, Jim Riley on percussion, Jack DeJohnette on drums, Dave Holland on bass and John McLaughlin on electric guitar, launches into a swinging groove that has elements of funk and additional nods to psychedelia. Davis gives plenty of room for the band to hit their stride, but when he starts playing his trumpet its clear who's piloting the ship. The groove grows in intensity until the song nears its end when the mood turns again to the spacey sound that began the cut. Also on the album is an interpretation of Joe Zawinul's "Pharoah's Dance" and Davis originals "Spanish Key," a mashup of traditional and fusion styles, the brief tribute to his guitar playing sideman that is "John McLaughlin" (and of course featuring John) and the intoxicating "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down." The set closes with a take on Wayne Shorter's "Sanctuary" which is as serene as the title indicates, even though the percussion gets a little wild at times. And it all is heard with exceptional clarity; indeed played on the right equipment it is the next best thing to being right in the studio with Davis. This Ultradisc One-Step Pressing is packaged regally too; the double record set has each LP housed in a sturdy jacket and then inside a sturdy, box set-like slip-in outer jacket. An insert featuring the original album graphics is included as is, in a special treat, a promotional black & white photo from the Columbia Records archives.
