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Pharaoh's Dance Bitches Brew Spanish Key John McLaughlin Miles Runs The Voodoo Down Sanctuary Band Intros

Graham Hayes – Cornet Vernon Reid – Guitar Marco Benevento – Keyboards JD Logic – Turntables, Samples Antoine Roney – Clarinet, Saxophones Melvin Gibbs – Bass Adam Rudolph – Percussion Pheeroan Aklaff - Drums --- Program Notes --- A stunning cast of acclaimed musicians reveals the epic legacy of Miles Davis’ landmark album on the 40th anniversary of its release. Bitches Brew, Davis’ pioneering work with electronic music, was, in 1970, an augur of jazz’s cross-genre evolution and is, today, hailed by some audiophiles as the greatest jazz and rock album ever made. A who’s who of jazz, hip–hop and rock artists pack the stage, led by cornetist Graham Haynes, a major force in contemporary electronic and world music. The inimitable Marco Benevento employs pedals, amplifiers, circuit bent toys and sundry effects around his acoustic piano setup. The revered innovator DJ Logic, pioneering guitarist Vernon Reid (erstwhile leader of multiplatinum rock band Living Colour), cross cultural percussionist Adam Rudolph, in demand saxophonist and clarinetist Antoine Roney and Melvin Gibbs, “the best bassist in the world” (Time Out New York), all conspire to create a supernatural night that will leave devotees, skeptics and neophytes charmed and reeling, happily, back into the future of jazz. Bitches Brew is back.  And with its return, a re-birth of jazz legend Miles Davis, as well. Davis, who played at the Flynn in the early 80s, unleashed a new era in jazz with the breakthrough release of “Bitches Brew” in 1969.  The album’s continued appeal was evident Friday night, as a near capacity audience was on hand for a “revisit” at the Flynn Center. --- Review --- “Bitches Brew Revisited” was conceived to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the album that took modern jazz to a place it had never been. Originally recorded in August, 1969, the cauldron of creativity was astonishing in its arrangement (and lack thereof), its new way of integrating electronics, and in the individual performances of players en route to becoming a “Who’s Who” in jazz. The album’s visual presentation was also unprecedented. While illustrations had certainly been employed as a central focus in prior music industry packaging, “Bitches Brew” brought a sensuality that was aggressive yet mysterious. A buyer could spend time with the art, seeing different perspectives and picking up small details that were hardly unplanned.  Discover Jazz included a contest to re-create the album art, and the Top Ten became backdrops onstage. “Bitches Brew” album sales eventually waned, but never withered. The notion of “covering” the music in subsequent decades, however, was nearly inconceivable.  Graham Haynes was the perfect candidate to coalesce such an effort. He is a cornet player by trade, but also has been a central figure in the evolution of jazz that combines various electronic modalities as part of a core sound structure. As the band leader of “Bitches Brew Revisited,” Haynes   gathered together ingredients that made the original brew so compelling — and added some spicy elements that took the date in Burlington well past the boiling point. An ingenious tonality was created with the insertion of DJ Logic into the mix. His turntables and samples at times brought  jarring departures, and in other sections became part of the underlying texture. Vernon Reid’s guitar work was simply staggering. He lathered his solos with effects that were just coming of age in the 60s: fuzz tone and wah-wah (think Hendrix on the latter, Kinks on the former). Just as you were pulling your jaw up from the floor, bassist Melvin Gibbs would step in and fire off a crazy combination of riffs unlike any we’ve ever heard. He, too, used the 60s effects, a notion that seems completely improbable yet worked very well. One of the hallmarks of “Bitches Brew” is its relentless percussion. Adam Rudolph employed a suitable array, playing with unrestrained velocity. Pheeroan akLaff brought a non-stop fury of cymbals, snares, and bass. As to Haynes, his role as “conductor” should not be understated. As the nearly two hour piece seemingly ran roughshod over everything in sight, Haynes, cued his players with counts, shakes, and stares. His playing was sublime, capturing the genius of Davis in its stark simplicity. Out on the sidewalk after the show, attendees gulped in the crisp evening air. They’d just been had. It was breathless in Burlington. Paul Kaza has reviewed jazz and contemporary music for the Burlington Free Press since 1980.

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