Bitches Brew

thunderbolt · #1 03-24-2010, 08:45 AM

I'm not sure whether this belongs in recordings or misc. because although it is a recording, I'm not talking about the bass in it.

Bitches Brew is the first jazz album that I ever really got into, and to this day its still my favorite. I don't really care too much for the bass, the keys or even the trumpet playing on the album, though. What really gets me going about Bitches Brew is the drumming. I don't know who the drummer is, but his style is just wild! Ever since I started playing bass, I started to listen to drummers differently, and to this day this is still my favorite "drum" album.

My question to you jazz experts is, who is the drummer on Bitches Brew, and do you know of any other albums with him playing like this, or maybe other albums with drumming similiar to this that I may like?

thunderbolt · #2 03-24-2010, 08:50 AM

And just to be clear, tracks that are the best examples of what I am talking about are the title track "Bitches Brew" and "Pharoah's Dance."

Twnty1inRF · #3 03-24-2010, 08:56 AM

I'm pretty sure that Lenny White and Jack DeJohnette played drums on Bitches Brew but I'm not sure which tracks. They may both be on some tracks.

jweiss · #4 03-24-2010, 08:57 AM

There are TWO drummers on the tracks on Bitch's Brew

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitches_Brew

Lenny White - drum set - Left
Jack DeJohnette - drum set - Right

DeJohnette is one of my favorite drummers.

Cheers,

Jeff

jweiss · #5 03-24-2010, 09:03 AM

Other "classic" jazz albums with DeJohnette on drums:

Bill Evans - Bill Evans at the Montreux Jazz Festival (1968)
Joe Henderson - Power to the People (1969)
Freddie Hubbard - Straight Life
Sonny Rollins - Old Flames
Keith Jarrett - Standards, vols. 1 and 2
McCoy Tyner - Supertrios
Dave Holland - Triplicate
Steve Swallow - Real Book

waleross · #6 03-24-2010, 09:04 AM

Give credit to Dave Holland(SB) and Harvey Brooks (Fender Bass, my fav. ) were the bass players.

JimK · #7 03-24-2010, 09:15 AM

...and don't forget about DeJohnette's own stuff-
Like this one, for example:
http://www.amazon.com/Touchstones-De...9443542&sr=8-2

Kudos for the OP's favourite "Jazz" album being Bitches Brew. On the flipside, many "Jazz" fans would list BB as one of their least favourite Miles' albums.

markjazzbassist · #8 03-24-2010, 10:34 AM

i love this record. my first miles album and i love it. there is so much going on, yet it all still makes sense.

and yes, jack dejohnette is amazing. i got to see him a couple years ago, and at 70 something years old, he's still got it.

thunderbolt · #9 03-24-2010, 11:49 AM

awesomeness. Thanks everybody. Looks like I need to head to the library.

Toronto Bassist · #10 03-25-2010, 03:56 PM

Bitches Brew is by far my favorite album. I listen to it almost every day.

The Owl · #11 03-25-2010, 05:01 PM

It took me years to get my mind around BB but a few years ago it finally clicked for me and I've loved it ever since!

oggdawg · #12 03-25-2010, 05:09 PM

I love the "more is more" approach. Two drummers, plus percussion. Two bass players. Two (or three!) keyboardists. If you had access to the best of the best, why wouldn't you use all of them?

JoZac21 · #13 03-25-2010, 05:15 PM

Check this live album from around the same era (w. Miles, Shorter, DeJohnette, Holland, Corea, Moreira):

http://www.amazon.com/Live-Fillmore-...9558370&sr=1-5

Just awesome...

JimK · #14 03-26-2010, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoZac21

Check this live album from around the same era (w. Miles, Shorter, DeJohnette, Holland, Corea, Moreira):

http://www.amazon.com/Live-Fillmore-...9558370&sr=1-5

Just awesome...

I know Airto makes 6...but this group is AKA as 'the lost quintet' or Miles' '3rd Great Quintet'.
Typical of the Fillmore's SOP-
Miles was sharing the bill with Neil Young on this night.

Check out the these for even more-more:
Festival de Juan les Pins (1969)
Black Beauty: Miles Davis at Fillmore West (1970)
At Fillmore (1970)
Pangaea (1975)
Agharta (1975)

Melik · #15 03-26-2010, 05:28 AM

Don Alias also played the drums on the song "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" because neither DeJohnette nor White was able to capture the marching band rhythm.

BluesWalker · #16 03-26-2010, 05:35 AM

I am also one who really likes this album and that whole period of Miles' music. I remember buying my vinyl copy (which is long gone) when it was first released. However, my favorite album from that period is Tribute to Jack Johnson.

GrindYourMind · #17 03-26-2010, 06:09 AM

It's a spectacular album, that's for sure. What I've never really understood is it's label as being fusion. I mean, yeah it uses electric instruments and has a definite rock edge and some rock melodic sensibilities but I find it to be far too loose to be a true fusion album. Fusion is almost defined by how tight it is.

Compare BB to the bands' later releases with their post-Miles groups, which happen to be the quintessential and defining Fusion bands (RTF, Head Hunters, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report) and then back to back that with a comparison with other defining and quintessential Free Jazz releases (Ornette, Sun Ra to an extent, Cecil Taylor) and I think you will agree with me that while BB has a more rock sense of melody and rhythm, it has more in common aurally with the latter examples.