Miles Davis

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More from the August 18, 1970 concert at Tanglewood.

The double album “Bitches Brew” was released in April of 1970. The actual recording was done from August 19–21, 1969. It was Miles’ first gold record and sold over 500,000 copies, marking a dramatic change both in Miles’ career and in jazz itself.

What was the session like?

“Davis called the musicians to the recording studio on very short notice.

A few pieces on “Bitches Brew” were rehearsed before the recording sessions, but at other times, the musicians had little or no idea what they were to record.

Once in the recording studio, the players were typically given only a few instructions: a tempo count, a few chords, or a hint of melody, and suggestions as to mood or tone.

Davis liked to work this way; he thought it forced musicians to pay close attention to one another, to their own performances, or to Davis’s cues, which could change at any moment.”

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