"Bitches Brew" is an improbable example of longevity. Miles Davis’ first gold album, "Brew" was a far cry from anything that could be considered traditional jazz style in 1970. The tunes were long (some tracks are over 20 minutes), through-composed explorations. The instrumentation was esoteric and - gasp - electric. The solo playing was avant-garde and stretched tonality. The rhythms were aggressive, jarring, even crude. On paper, "Bitches Brew" seems like it should be in obscurity, known only to music historians.

Obviously, nothing could be further from the truth. Last night, Los Angeles’ Grammy Museum hosted a sold-out 40th anniversary celebration of "Bitches Brew" featuring a panel of jazz insiders and key figures in Miles Davis’ professional and personal lives. The discussion that ensued further cemented not only the commercial success and popularity of one the most ground-breaking albums of all time, but its influence on the evolution of jazz.

“We had some staff paper. There were a few notes on the paper but Miles never said ‘that’s what I want,’” said Bennie Maupin, who was handpicked by Davis to play bass clarinet on "Bitches Brew". “It was free music and I knew that’s what he wanted from me.”

Evidence of Davis’ highly improvisational vision can be readily found in the wake of "Brew". Most notably, Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul, who both appeared on "Brew", went on to form Weather Report, a pioneering jazz/rock fusion ensemble.

Davis’ son Erin Davis, nephew Vince Wilburn, Jr., and first wife Frances Davis, offered more personal perspectives on the trumpeter’s creative inspirations and oft-criticized personality.

“He was just a person who took music very seriously. A forward thinker. You never knew what he was going to throw at you,” said Wilburn, a drummer who played with Davis.

Frances Davis, a ballerina who was married to Miles for nine years, attested to her husband’s restless search for artistic inspiration. “It wasn’t easy, but the music was so beautiful.”

Also present was actor Don Cheadle, a Davis enthusiast who is planning on making a film based on Davis’ life. Cheadle said that as an actor, he admired Davis’ ability to live in the moment as a performer. 

“If he heard you play something on stage that he heard you practice in the hotel room, you were out of the band. The stage is where you make your mistakes,” said Cheadle.

Taken in the context of Davis’ entire discography, "Bitches Brew" seems like much less of an anomaly and instead another installment in a pattern of innovation. Davis abandoned bop and practically invented cool jazz by recording "Birth of the Cool" in 1950. He embraced modal playing with Kind of Blue in 1959. He incorporated electricity and rock instruments on "In a Silent Way" in 1969.

Stretching boundaries was the theme of "Bitches Brew", but it was also the theme of Davis’ career. With such a personal connection between Davis’ philosophy and the music, it is no surprise that "Bitches Brew" can still sell out after 40 years.

To reach reporter Patrick Bigsby, click here.