29 in 2009 - Miles Davis: "Bitches Brew"

Miles Davis: Bitches Brew

Originally Released: April 1970

Genres: Jazz, Fusion, Experimental

Rating: ? out of 10

Early 2oth-century jazz: THAT I get. This stuff: not so much.

If that swingin', ragtime-esque jazz from the 1920s is in fact jazz, this stuff is not. It's like calling Nickelback "rock n roll." No, Buddy holly and Elvis were rock n roll, you guys make really mindless, uncreative modern rock! There's a difference. And it may just be an evolution of the genre, but at some point you have to draw a line and say, "This is no longer the same thing. This is something entirely different." So again, I say:

Jazz I get. Bitches Brew, I do not.

Cool your jets though. That's not to say that I completely dislike what I'm hearing. I actually think that this is a fantastic album when listened to in the right state of mind. Right state of mind: needing some background music to cleaning, writing, whatever. Wrong (well, misguided) state of mind: wanting to dissect and analyze music that is probably far beyond what you can grasp without a degree in music theory.

See, I could've spent months listening to this album, reading up on other peoples' interpretation of what the hell is actually going on, and then coming up with my own unique interpretation. But I chose to take it at face value. I'm happy with that decision because while some people may find such endeavors rewarding, it probably would've ruined this album for me.

Really the only distracting thing about the record - apart from its 1 1/2 hour length - is that I kept thinking that Miles' trumpet playing sounds a lot like the music on Sim City 4. Somehow I doubt many others will be bothered by this. So with that, I can do no less than award Bitches Brew my coveted "classic" verdict if only for the fact that it was indeed groundbreaking and a catalyst for an entirely new generation of artists willing to think outside the realm of what people considered possible or acceptable.

Verdict: Classic