There have been plenty of projects where artists have faithfully covered entire classic albums – from Sgt Pepper to Dark Side Of The Moon, from Kind Of Blue to OK Computer – putting a respectful spin on the existing melodies and chords. Bitches Brew, Miles Davis’ groundbreaking 1970 double album and a regular in ‘best ever’ polls, is one canonical release that resists such treatment. It is not a record that can be transcribed and reduced to dots on a page. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to hum any of it. Its essence lies in its unorthodox choice of sounds – effects-laden Fender Rhodes pianos; Bennie Maupin’s rumbling bass clarinet; the shocking, non-tonal howl of John McLaughlin’s discordant guitar. Bitches Brew is also the product of a very particular methodology: musicians improvising freely over a thick, dissonant fug. The chords barely change. Melodies or riffs are rarely repeated.
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London Brew is a “reimagining” of the Bitches Brew album, assembled by Grammy-winning Swedish producer Martin Terefe. Terefe is best known for working on big albums by the likes of KT Tunstall, Ron Sexsmith and A-ha while based in London over…
