1. Contents by Slide:
1. Contents/Cover
2. Bitches Brew
3. The Musicians and their Instruments
4. Mile’s Style
5. The Percussion and String Thing
6. The Genre
7. Miles Runs the Voodoo Down
8. Jazz Rock (Fusion)
9. Success to Tragedy
10. Interesting Facts
11. The Song as a Whole
12. References (Works Cited)

2. 
Bitches Brew
“Miles Runs the Voodoo Down” is a song off of Miles Davis’s
Album, Bitches Brew, which debuted in 1969.
The song features an ensemble of twelve musicians. These
musicians perform by using only three brass and woodwind
instruments. (Kamien, 2011)
Picture courtesy of: http://www.afropunk.com/profiles/blogs/bitches-brew-miles-davis

3. 
The Musicians and their
Instruments
1. Miles Davis – Trumpet
2. Wayne Shorter – Soprano saxophone
3. Bennie Maupin – Bass clarinet
4. Lenny White – Drums
5. Jack de Johnette – Drums
6. Charles Alias – Drums
7. Jim Riley – Percussion
8. Chick Corea – Electric piano
9. Larry Young – Electric piano
10. Harvey Brooks – Electric bass
11. Dave Holland – String Bass
12. John McLaughlin – Electric Guitar (Kamien, 2011)

4. 
Miles’s Style
“Miles Runs the Voodoo Down” opens with a soft percussion
beat, then easily transitions to an easy-listening sound of the
trumpet. The sound of the trumpet is Miles Davis’s solo. You
can hear him sliding from one pitch to another. There is not a
solid pattern or form that the music takes; it is a free flowing
sound that varies from low register, to a rapid bebop, to high
held tones. His improvised rhythm is beautifully integrated.
(Kamien, 2011) Listen here:

5. 
The Percussion and
String Thing
Listen here:
Most of the percussion and string section can account for the rhythm in “Miles
Runs the Voodoo Down”.
In the opening of the song you can here a smooth beat. You can also hear the
jazz style.
The percussion and string are a big part of the jazz genre.

6. 
The Genre
Miles Davis is well known for being a jazz musician, but proves he is much
more than that . You can hear in his song “Miles Runs the Voodoo Down” that
he transforms into a jam king and just let’s the music play through him, no
matter when genre it sounds like.
Picture courtesy of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Miles_Davis_24.jpg

7. 
Miles Runs the Voodoo
Down
“Miles Runs the Voodoo Down” was also released as a single due to its
popularity. This song, along with Bitches Brew won Miles his loyal
audience of both jazz and non-jazz fans. (Trutor, 2011)
Picture courtesy of: http://www.northernvolume.com/miles-davis-miles-runs-the-voodoo-down-in-a-silent-way-7-vinyl-45rpm-single-xl-size-t-
shirt/

8. 
Jazz Rock (Fusion)
Miles Davis recorded and performed Bitches Brew and helped open up
the jazz genre to a new form of jazz, called jazz rock, or fusion.
The Encyclopedia Britannica defines Fusion as “popular musical form
in which modern jazz improvisation is accompanied by the bass lines,
drumming styles, and instrumentation of rock music, with a strong
emphasis on electronic instruments and dance rhythms”. (Encyclopedia
Britannica, 2013)

9. 
Success to Tragedy
The success that Miles Davis obtained from his music led to a life
full of addiction. Davis became addicted to cocaine and alcohol,
which did not help his already existing health issues. Eventually
he did quit doing drugs but the damage was already done. In
1982 he suffered a stroke and had to live with the after effects for
the remainder of his life. In 1991 Miles Davis lost his life to a
second stroke and a battle with pneumonia.
Even over twenty years after his death, fans still praise Miles for
his music. (Trutor, 2011)
(1926 - 1991)

10. 
Interesting Facts
• “Miles Runs the Voodoo Down is one of the least edited songs
on the album Bitches Brew.
• Bitches Brew sold over 70,000 copies within the first month it
was released
• During the recording of Bitches Brew, Miles and his producers
did not get along and at one point Miles was told to leave the
studio. (Freeman, 2005)

11. 
The Song as a Whole
Anybody who has an appreciation for jazz or Miles Davis will
agree that “Miles Runs the Voodoo Down” is a classic Miles song.
It blends his improvisation style with a fresh blend of jazz.
Listen for yourself here to “Miles Runs the Voodoo Down” (the
entire song):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a1Ph-ioxoA

12. 
References (Works Cited)
Encyclopedia Britannica. (2013). Encyclopedia Britannica.
Freeman, P. (2005). Running the Voodoo Down. San Francisco :
Backseat Books.
Kamien, R. (2011). Music An Appreciation. New York: McGraw-
Hill.
Trutor, C. (2011). Miles Davis (1926-1991). In M. C. Whitaker,
Icons of Black America: Breaking Barriers and Crossing Boundaries,
Volume 1 (pp. 220,226,227). Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, LLC.