Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings, Tom Skinner, and More Announce Miles Davis Tribute London Brew

Concord Jazz has announced London Brew, a new album inspired by Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew. Due out on 2xLP, 2xCD, and digitally March 31, it was recorded at Paul Epworth’s The Church Studios in London by a dozen of contemporary UK jazz musicians, including Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings, Tom Skinner, and more. Check out the trailer and first single, Garcia’s “Miles Chases New Voodoo in the Church,” below.

Of the new song, Garcia said in a press release: 

“This single is our interpretation of Miles Davis’ ode to Jimi Hendrix (“Miles Runs the Voodoo Down”). I’ve always been very inspired by the creative minds of both Miles and Jimi…. Both were innovators who carved their own lanes, which is something I’ve aspired to in my own career.  For a while now I’ve been experimenting and using pedals and effects with my instrument, so to be able to do that on this track, while paying tribute to their legacies, was a joy both creatively and personally.”

The group was assembled by producer and guitarist Martin Terefe and executive producer Bruce Lampcov to perform a concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of Bitches Brew; when it was canceled due to the pandemic, they summoned the musicians to The Church in December 2020 to create an improvisatory work inspired by the album. The group was rounded out by Benji B, Raven Bush, Theon Cross, Tom Herbert, Nikolaj Torp Larsen, Dave Okumu, Nick Ramm, and Dan See.

In a statement on the source material, Shabaka Hutchings said: 

“For me, that’s what Bitches Brew is. It’s a bunch of musicians making music because of the love of making music, as a social force and as a social construct. They are creating something that expresses unity and motion. That’s what it is to be alive… you know, you have unity, you have motion, and you have vibration. You don’t get any more alive than that. That’s Bitches Brew.”