Eric Clapton’s review of Miles Davis’ ‘Bitches Brew’
For this piece, Far Out is passing the mic. Instead of being the music journalist, that role is being passed on to someone else, as Eric Clapton reviewed Miles Davis’ hit, ‘Bitches Brew’.
Despite being two titans of music, Clapton has somehow managed to never hear Davis’ 1970 epic track before. At a swollen 27-minute run time, the composition is one of the jazz icons’ most defining hits. It marked a whole new era for the artist.
After coming up in the New York City jazz scene, around his idols like Charlie Parker or other key names to note like Duke Ellington and Count Basie, Davis established himself as one of the leaders of the modern genre. On his landmark album, Kind Of Blue, Davis proves his jazz chops but imbues them with a refreshed new eye. But Bitches Brew is something else entirely. Somehow, Davis managed to escape the confines that traditional genres like jazz are often trapped in. He expanded out of the niche circles and clubs as he expanded his sound, too. This standout song was a big moment for that as the artist added more electric elements, as well as guitars and drums that are more like rock music than anything.
He earned the title of the ‘King of Cool’, becoming a formidable master of music that earned him respect and recognition in circles far beyond the jazz scene. Even the most lyrical of musicians loved him as Joni Mitchell was a vocal fan, stating, “He captures and transmits – without words – all we need to know about the situation- in the universal language of tone.”
Damon Albarn is another fan, despite Britpop seeming to sit at the completely other end of the spectrum to cool jazz and existing in a whole other time period. But even to a rock and indie musician like him, ‘Bitches Brew’ is something special. “Miles Davis attacks, especially on records like Bitches Brew and On The Corner,” he said. “Some of it’s toxin and some of it’s anti-toxin, but you could listen forever because of the way it’s been put together.”
So it’s surprising that it took Eric Clapton so long to hit play. “I’ve been waiting to hear it,” the guitarist said as he reviewed a selection of the biggest songs of the 1970s. His thoughts start almost tenuously. “I like it,” he says. Then, when the band come in, his interest seems pricked by the most rock-like elements as he asks, “Who’s the drummer?” hooked in by the dual playing of Lenny White and Jack DeJohnette.
But even for someone who clearly wasn’t well versed in Davis’ music, the air of respect that surrounds him clearly precedes his music. “I’d like to have a go at playing with Miles, it would be an incredible challenge,” Clapton says, still seeing the jazz musician as a kind of superior that he’s looking up to. In the end, he decides he wouldn’t be able to keep up as he adds, “I don’t think I’m good enough.”
“It’s the kind of music that avoids the obvious,” Clapton says, perfectly summing up the difference between his rock and roll world and the world of Miles Davis’ jazz. Rock is built on a sturdy foundation of, classically, four chords. It’s largely rooted in structure, with the same progressions and riffs coming back around with each verse or chorus to hook people in. On the flip side, jazz has always been built on surprise. Its origins are in improvisation, meaning that by its nature, there’s an element of feeling out what might happen and attempting to read the minds of the other musicians or quickly adapt to follow them. On the spanning ‘Bitches Brew’, all 27 minutes feel full of adventure and intrigue as different ideas float in and out.
At least Clapton is humble enough to know that he couldn’t hope to match up to that.
