London Brew

The band was assembled by producer and guitarist Martin Terefe and executive producer Bruce Lampcov for a series of concerts in major cities across Europe,{{Cite magazine |last=Cowan |first=Andy |date=March 2023 |title=London Brew: Miles Davis' Fusion Landmark Re-Imagined (But Where Do Westlife Fit In?) |url=https://archive.org/details/mojo-march-2023/page/19/mode/2up |magazine=Mojo |publication-date=January 2023 |page=19 |access-date=26 January 2023}} starting with one at the Barbican Centre{{Cite news |last=Kenneally |first=Cerys |date=19 January 2023 |title=Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings, Dave Okumu, Tom Skinner and more announce new album inspired by Miles Davis' Bitches Brew |work=The Line of Best Fit |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/nubya-garcia-shabaka-hutchings-dave-okumu-tom-skinner-and-more-announce-new-album-inspired-by-miles-davis-bitches-brew |access-date=20 January 2023}} celebrating the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In place of the concert, the group assembled at the Church Studios in North London in December 2020, starting five days after the end of the UK's second COVID-19 lockdown, to record the album, an improvised set inspired by Bitches Brew. The recording took place over three days. The process started with pre-production work by Terefe and the Invisible's Dave Okumu, which Okumu described as Terefe sharing "a vision rooted in inspiration and celebration rather than faithful recreation". Benji B was brought in to feed Terefe's and Okumu's initial sketches to the ensemble. Okumu said the recording process was full of "so many special moments" such as "Shabaka and Nubya speaking to each other through their horns or Theon Cross dropping the heaviest bass line this side of lockdown."

Terefe, left with over 12 hours of material from the sessions, said he mixed them "like a non-jazz record" with "no editing at all, except deciding where to start and end a song", a decision he considered "the least conventional thing to do". Terefe called the results a "new piece of music that taps into Miles's mindset at the time and our emotion of having been through the pandemic", and said "calling the album 'Inspired by Bitches Brew{{'}} comes the closest" to explaining it.

The album was announced 19 January 2023 along with the release of lead single "Miles Chases New Voodoo in the Church", an interpretation of Davis' Jimi Hendrix-inspired "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down",{{Cite news |date=19 January 2023 |title=Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings, Dave Okumu and more release Miles Davis-inspired London Brew LP |work=Jazzwise |url=https://www.jazzwise.com/news/article/nubya-garcia-shabaka-hutchings-dave-okumu-and-more-release-miles-davis-inspired-london-brew-lp |access-date=20 January 2023}} and was released by Concord Jazz on 31 March.{{Cite web |last=Ruiz |first=Matthew Ismael |date=19 January 2023 |title=Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings, Tom Skinner, and More Announce Miles Davis Tribute Album London Brew |website=Pitchfork |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/nubya-garcia-shabaka-hutchings-tom-skinner-and-more-announce-miles-davis-tribute-london-brew/ |access-date=20 January 2023}} The second single, "Raven Flies Low", was released 9 March. It is said to match "rugged funk aspects in the beat to glorious melodies wrought from the effects-laden violin of Raven Bush."{{Cite magazine |last=Murray |first=Robin |date=9 March 2023 |title=Jazz All-Stars London Brew Share "Raven Flies Low" |magazine=Clash |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/jazz-all-stars-london-brew-share-raven-flies-low/ |access-date=9 March 2023}} Terefe said that in mixing the track, he "fell into focusing on the continuous flow [of] Raven's violin melodies and electronic pedal orchestrations. His mini compositions moved so brilliantly under the radar and this one blew my mind. I chose the title inspired by the track 'John McLaughlin' on Bitches Brew. Simply a hats off to a maestro at work."{{Cite news |last=Pappis |first=Konstantinos |date=9 March 2023 |title=London Brew Share New Single "Raven Flies Low" |work=Our Culture |url=https://ourculturemag.com/2023/03/09/london-brew-share-new-single-raven-flies-low/ |access-date=9 March 2023}}

{{Music ratings

| title =London Brew ratings

| MC = 84/100

| rev1 =AllMusic

| rev1score ={{rating|4|5}}{{Cite news |last=Jurek |first=Thom |title=London Brew - London Brew |work=AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/london-brew-mw0003903498 |access-date=March 31, 2023}}

| rev2 =Mojo

| rev2score ={{rating|4|5}}{{Cite magazine |date=May 2023 |title=London Brew - London Brew |magazine=Mojo |page=84}}

| rev3 =Sputnikmusic

| rev3score =3.5/5{{Cite news |date=March 30, 2023 |title=Review: London Brew - London Brew |work=Sputnikmusic |url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/86626/London-Brew-London-Brew/ |access-date=March 31, 2023}}

| rev4 =Uncut

| rev4score ={{rating|4.5|5}}{{Cite news |last=Lewis |first=John |date=31 March 2023 |title=London Brew – London Brew |work=Uncut |url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/london-brew-london-brew-142207/ |access-date=March 31, 2023}}

}}

{{Metacritic album prose|London Brew|positive|84|6}}{{Cite news |title=London Brew by London Brew Reviews and Tracks |work=Metacritic |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/london-brew/london-brew |access-date=March 31, 2023}}

{{Track listing

| headline = London Brew track listing

| title1 = London Brew

| length1 = 23:34

| title2 = London Brew Pt.2 – Trainlines

| length2 = 15:47

| title3 = Miles Chases New Voodoo in the Church

| length3 = 7:27

| title4 = Nu Sha Ni Sha Nu Oss Ra

| length4 = 8:54

| title5 = It's One of These

| length5 = 6:54

| title6 = Bassics

| length6 = 2:50

| title7 = Mor Ning Prayers

| length7 = 9:52

| title8 = Raven Flies Low

| length8 = 12:57

| total_length = 88:15

}}

Sourced from JamBase.{{Cite news |last=Kahn |first=Andy |date=19 January 2023 |title=Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings, Tom Skinner & More Prep Miles Davis Tribute London Brew |work=JamBase |url=https://www.jambase.com/article/london-brew-miles-davis-tribute-album |access-date=20 January 2023}}

• Martin Terefe – producer, mixing engineer, guitarist
• Bruce Lampcov – executive producer
• Dilip Harris - recording engineer
• Nubya Garcia – saxophone, flute
• Shabaka Hutchings – saxophone, woodwinds
• Tom Skinner – drums, percussion
• Benji B – decks, sonic recycling
• Theon Cross – tuba
• Raven Bush – violin, electronics
• Tom Herbert – electric bass, double bass
• Nikolaj Torp Larsen – synthesisers, melodica
• Nick Ramm – piano, synthesizers
• Dan See – drums, percussion
• Dave Okumu – guitar
• Glen Scott
• Lucinda Chao

{{Reflist}}

{{Sons of Kemet}}

Category:2023 debut albums

Category:Albums produced by Martin Terefe

Category:Albums recorded at The Church Studios

Category:Concord Music Group albums

Category:Jazz fusion albums by British artists