Miles Davis
Bitches Brew
​
Today, I will be taking a look at Miles Davis’ 1970 studio album Bitches Brew. This revolutionary album holds many treasures in its sound scape, production and cover art which caused it to be one of Mile Davis’ most influential albums. In this essay, I will be exploring the components that make this art work so unique.
On March 30, 1970 Miles Davis released his studio double album titled “Bitches Brew”. Miles had sat down with over a dozen established and up and coming musicians in order to create this six track project. Miles began looking for a new sound to incorporate into his music and this album started his deep dive into electric piano and guitar.(All Music, n/a) At this point in his career Miles had long abandoned his ‘cool jazz’ faze and was now diving deep into a much more intense, eerie and psychedelic type of music. This is in full display as this album has 20 plus minute songs, a high level of fluctuating timbre and long moments of suspense which evoke mystery. While this album received mixed reviews upon its release it slowly became Miles’ best selling album and established the genre known as jazz-rock fusion. (All Music, n/a)
This album is accompanied by a painting by the French surrealist painter of German origin named Malti Klarwein. Before working on this painting, Malti was known for very vivid and colorful imagery. He used popular psychedelic imagery, and expresses themes of religion, race and sexuality. For this specific cover, Klarwein painted with a technique called ‘Mischtechnik’. This gives the painting a glowing appearance by layering tempera and oil paints.(Far Out, n/a) The result is a beautiful sculpted image that ties in perfectly with the themes of the album.
In my opinion, these two artworks are some of the best complementary pieces I have ever seen published together. The feeling of being overwhelmed brought forth by this album is wonderfully depicted by the two figures standing in the foreground. The correlation between humans and nature sounded by the electrical and brass instruments is shown as a thunderstorm ravaging the sea as it stays looming over the horizon. The psychedelic themes are pulled from the bystanders mind’s as their humanity is mixed with the powers of nature. There is also a large portion of blue sky, which contrasts with the loud and unpredictable storm. This clear sky represents the silent and reserved portions of the album, which spends its time fighting away the storm. Finally, a large figure watches from above, but not as an overseeing being. This figure is battling the sweat dripping from her face. The amount of sweat is reminiscent of Miles himself, as after long sessions he would find himself soaking from all the energy he had exasperated. (Miles Davis, 1970)
‘Mile runs the voodoo down’ is a wonderfully constructed song that perfectly displays the essence of the album. Starting with slow but intriguing sounds, we are invited into a unique soundscape surrounded by a smooth melody accompanied by sharp noises which help build tension. After this enticing beginning, we are swooped a chaotic mix of loud and unfiltered sounds that escalate as the song evolves. This song fits so well with the artwork because of the story, it is able to tell without the use of a narrative or words. We are able to feel the emotions in the sounds and they reflect the feeling we find on the cover of the album. This is why these pieces of art complement each other so well. (Miles Davis, 1970)
I think that the art of finding the perfect album covers is something that has been in steady decline for well over a decade. This album is able to give us two fantastic forms of art and mixes them together to create a well balanced end product. With the combination of Miles’ fantastic and revolutionary musical talent mixed with Malti’s raw and turbulent brush strokes, we are able to combine the two into one great work of art. I personally loved doing the research for the essay since I have yet to find a collection of music that leaves me this intrigued. I was also allowed to learn about the cover art which I had always admired but never took the time to look into.
Work cited
Far Out Magazine, The Cover Uncovered: The story behind Miles Davis' album cover for 'Bitches Brew' by Malti Klarwein. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/miles-davis-album-bitches-brew-cover-story/
AllMusic, Bitches Brew - Miles Davis: Songs, Reviews, credits.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/bitches-brew-mw0000188019
Miles Davis, Miles Runs the Voodoo Down. Youtube. April 1970.
Crative reserch Project
Miles Davis
Bitches Brew
Work Cited
Today, I will be taking a look at Miles Davis’ 1970 studio album Bitches Brew. This revolutionary album holds many treasures in its sound scape, production and cover art which caused it to be one of Mile Davis’ most influential albums. In this essay, I will be exploring the components that make this art work so unique.
On March 30, 1970 Miles Davis released his studio double album titled “Bitches Brew”. Miles had sat down with over a dozen established and up and coming musicians in order to create this six track project. Miles began looking for a new sound to incorporate into his music and this album started his deep dive into electric piano and guitar.(All Music, n/a) At this point in his career Miles had long abandoned his ‘cool jazz’ faze and was now diving deep into a much more intense, eerie and psychedelic type of music. This is in full display as this album has 20 plus minute songs, a high level of fluctuating timbre and long moments of suspense which evoke mystery. While this album received mixed reviews upon its release it slowly became Miles’ best selling album and established the genre known as jazz-rock fusion. (All Music, n/a)
This album is accompanied by a painting by the French surrealist painter of German origin named Malti Klarwein. Before working on this painting, Malti was known for very vivid and colorful imagery. He used popular psychedelic imagery, and expresses themes of religion, race and sexuality. For this specific cover, Klarwein painted with a technique called ‘Mischtechnik’. This gives the painting a glowing appearance by layering tempera and oil paints.(Far Out, n/a) The result is a beautiful sculpted image that ties in perfectly with the themes of the album.
In my opinion, these two artworks are some of the best complementary pieces I have ever seen published together. The feeling of being overwhelmed brought forth by this album is wonderfully depicted by the two figures standing in the foreground. The correlation between humans and nature sounded by the electrical and brass instruments is shown as a thunderstorm ravaging the sea as it stays looming over the horizon. The psychedelic themes are pulled from the bystanders mind’s as their humanity is mixed with the powers of nature. There is also a large portion of blue sky, which contrasts with the loud and unpredictable storm. This clear sky represents the silent and reserved portions of the album, which spends its time fighting away the storm. Finally, a large figure watches from above, but not as an overseeing being. This figure is battling the sweat dripping from her face. The amount of sweat is reminiscent of Miles himself, as after long sessions he would find himself soaking from all the energy he had exasperated. (Miles Davis, 1970)
‘Mile runs the voodoo down’ is a wonderfully constructed song that perfectly displays the essence of the album. Starting with slow but intriguing sounds, we are invited into a unique soundscape surrounded by a smooth melody accompanied by sharp noises which help build tension. After this enticing beginning, we are swooped a chaotic mix of loud and unfiltered sounds that escalate as the song evolves. This song fits so well with the artwork because of the story, it is able to tell without the use of a narrative or words. We are able to feel the emotions in the sounds and they reflect the feeling we find on the cover of the album. This is why these pieces of art complement each other so well. (Miles Davis, 1970)
I think that the art of finding the perfect album covers is something that has been in steady decline for well over a decade. This album is able to give us two fantastic forms of art and mixes them together to create a well balanced end product. With the combination of Miles’ fantastic and revolutionary musical talent mixed with Malti’s raw and turbulent brush strokes, we are able to combine the two into one great work of art. I personally loved doing the research for the essay since I have yet to find a collection of music that leaves me this intrigued. I was also allowed to learn about the cover art which I had always admired but never took the time to look into.
Far Out Magazine, The Cover Uncovered: The story behind Miles Davis' album cover for 'Bitches Brew' by Malti Klarwein. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/miles-davis-album-bitches-brew-cover-story/
AllMusic, Bitches Brew - Miles Davis: Songs, Reviews, credits.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/bitches-brew-mw0000188019
Miles Davis, Miles Runs the Voodoo Down. Youtube. April 1970.