BITCHES BREW

Since I joined Prog Archives back in 2004, I must have read one million times how important "Bitches Brew" is for Jazz Rock Fusion, so in 2006, bought the album expecting something emotional and revolutionary, but it was so boring that I couldn't finish it the first time. After years of trying to discover the hidden magic in it, my conclusion is that more than a fusion between Jazz and Rock, we are before a Free Jazz album played with electronic instruments.

After reading the names of the crew like John Mc'Laughlin, Billy Cobham, Chick Corea or Harvey Brooks, I was so impressed that expected something coherent, intelligent even magnificent, but I was wrong, it consists of 93 minutes of virtuoso musicians playing different tunes one over the other with almost no structure or coherence...Maybe it's a fantastic work for really die hard Jazz fans, but for me is too much improvisation and too little consistence.

Now my mother taught me that if I haven't anything nice to say, better not say a word, so I will not mention sides 1 and 2, which are like Sanskrit for me, so will go straight to "Spanish Key"that has some good moments and guitar solos, but after this track will avoid the rest of the album.

The problem is that even when I'm not a fanatic of the genre, I like to listen the classic Jazz of musicians as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington or Dizzy Gillespie (who I saw in my country), and if we talk about Fusion, give me Brand X, Return to Forever or even Mahavishnu Orchestra, but "Bitches Brew", no matter how important is considered, sounds like collective improvisation (A style that Ornete Coleman developed in 1961) with electronic instruments that changed nothing of it's essence

Despite the massive recognition "Bitches Brew"receives (Probably deserved), my rating of an album must be solely based in my honest impression. so even when it's a great album for the vast majority of people and the musicians are amazing, the lack of melody and coherence, plus the almost exclusive use of dissonances, are beyond my comprehension so will rate this legendary MILES DAVIS album with two stars, which would be one if it wasn't for "Spanish Key".

Luckily the album has such a high average, that my rating won't affect the respect this album receives, so I won't feel guilty for taking down an album that is a masterpiece for so many people but not for me.