BITCHES BREW Praise for the series: It was only a matter of time before a clever publisher realized that there is an audience for whom Exile on Main Street or Electric Ladyland are as significant and worthy of study as The Catcher in the Rye or Middlemarch … The series … is freewheeling and eclectic, ranging from minute rock-geek analysis to idiosyncratic personal celebration — The New York Times Book Review Ideal for the rock geek who thinks liner notes just aren’t enough — Rolling Stone One of the coolest publishing imprints on the planet — Bookslut These are for the insane collectors out there who appreciate fantastic design, well-executed thinking, and things that make your house look cool. Each volume in this series takes a seminal album and breaks it down in startling minutiae. We love these. We are huge nerds — Vice A brilliant series … each one a work of real love — NME (UK) Passionate, obsessive, and smart — Nylon Religious tracts for the rock ’n’ roll faithful — Boldtype [A] consistently excellent series — Uncut (UK) We … aren’t naive enough to think that we’re your only source for reading about music (but if we had our way … watch out). For those of you who really like to know everything there is to know about an album, you’d do well to check out Continuum’s “33 1/3” series of books — Pitchfork For reviews of individual titles in the series, please visit our blog at 333sound.com and our website at http://www.bloomsbury.com/ musicandsoundstudies Follow us on Twitter: @333books Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/33.3books For a complete list of books in this series, see the back of this book Forthcoming in the series: Workingman’s Dead by Buzz Poole The Geto Boys by Rolf Potts Psychocandy by Paula Mejia Hi, How Are You by Benjamin Shapiro Dig Me Out by Jovana Babovic´ Hangin’ Tough by Rebecca Wallwork Donny Hathaway Live by Emily Lordi The Raincoats by Jenn Pelly Parallel Lines by Kembrew McLeod and many more … Bitches Brew George Grella, Jr. Bloomsbury Academic An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc Bloomsbury Academic An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 1385 Broadway 50 Bedford Square New York London NY 10018 WC1B 3DP USA UK www.bloomsbury.com Bloomsbury is a registered trade mark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc First published 2015 © George Grella, Jr., 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury or the author. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN: PB: 978-1-6289-2943-0 ePDF: 978-1-6289-2944-7 ePub: 978-1-6289-2945-4 Series: 331 3 Typeset by Fakenham Prepress Solutions, Fakenham, Norfolk, NR21 8NN Track Listing LP 1, Side 1 “Pharaoh’s Dance” (20:07) LP 1, Side 2 “Bitches Brew” (27:00) LP 2, Side 1 “Spanish Key” (17:30) “John McLaughlin” (4:23) LP 2, Side 2 “Miles Runs the Voodoo Down” (14:03) “Sanctuary” (10:54) To Rashid, who got it all started, to Chris, Keely, and Ben, who saw me through the years, to Keif (still the best writer in the family) and the Pea for making everything matter, to Norman, for his impossible amount of help, to Dad, who set the example, and to Mom, who never got to see it, and would have been proud. Contents Introduction xi Miles Davis Doesn’t Care What You Think 1 Directions in Music by Miles Davis 10 Gramophone, Trumpet, Razor Blade 38 Bitches Brew, CS 9995 64 Bitches Brew, CS 9996 78 It’s About That Time 94 Selected & Annotated Bitches Brew Discography 110 Selected Bibliography 118 Notes 120 • ix •