Miles Davis

Bitches Brew

First released1970

Bitches Brew was recorded at Columbia Records' Studio A in New York City over multiple sessions between August and September 1969, with producer Teo Macero overseeing the project. The album featured Miles Davis leading a large ensemble of electric and acoustic musicians, marking his deliberate shift toward fusion and rock-influenced music. Engineer David Hancock captured the sessions using multitrack recording technology, which Macero subsequently edited and arranged into the final album tracks, employing innovative studio techniques including the layering of multiple takes. The recording sessions were relatively informal and improvisational, reflecting Davis's creative approach and his collaboration with keyboardists Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, bassists John McLaughlin and Dave Holland, and drummer Jack DeJohnette. Released in March 1970, Bitches Brew became one of the first jazz albums to achieve platinum sales status and represented a watershed moment in popular music, demonstrating the commercial viability of jazz-rock fusion and influencing countless musicians across genres.