Mati Klarwein: The Artist Who Painted the Sound of Funk
Among Miles Davis’s vast discography, the funkiest one (for me) is Live-Evil from 1971 — the moment when his band fully embraces a funk-driven sound while still riding the wild adventurous spirit sparked by Bitches Brew. And when I first imagined this site as a place for sonic stories, it was the album I featured (with a side note about the marvelous Mati Klarwein and his cover art).
Now that I’ve expanded the site with Visuals and Soundtracks, here is a proper Mati Klarwein post!
What makes Mati Klarwein so special is how he pulls together so many different influences — from the great painters of the Renaissance to Indian spiritual art and African designs. The result is a colorful mix of dreamlike imagery, spiritual symbols, and wild patterns. His style is often called psychedelic or surreal, but it’s hard to put him in just one box; his paintings feel like they come from another world — one that’s ancient and futuristic all at once. Known as a “defining voice of the psychedelic era,” he doesn’t just create album covers — he builds entire worlds for us to explore music through mystical, cosmic visual stories.
One of his most famous projects is the cover for Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew. This 1970 release is a milestone in jazz-fusion history, blending jazz improvisation, heavy grooves, and rock energy into long, flowing jams. When it comes out, it surprises many listeners, but it opens doors to new ways of thinking about music, influencing countless artists across genres.
For Bitches Brew, Miles Davis wants more than just a pretty picture — he wants a visual mirror for his sonic experiment. He asks Mati Klarwein to listen to the album and create something that captures its energy. Klarwein responds with a layered work — scenes teeming with African, Eastern, and interracial motifs. The result is as restless and electric as the music itself. Columbia Records’ Art Director John Berg then adds the Gothic-style lettering that perfectly frames the dreamlike cover. Meanwhile, Miles’s then-wife, our bold and free-spirited Betty Davis, offers the final twist — renaming the album from "Witches Brew" to the unforgettable "Bitches Brew."
The cover becomes part of the album’s story, helping jazz-funk fusion become a whole sensory experience. Klarwein’s imagery gives a face to this new kind of music, matching its groove and experimentation.
Klarwein, of course, cannot be limited to Bitches Brew. His art graces other funk and fusion classics, such as:
🎸 Santana’s Abraxas, pulsing with Latin rhythms and tribal energy.
🎹 Reuben Wilson’s The Sweet Life, a cool soul-jazz record wrapped in his kaleidoscopic colors.
⚡ Buddy Miles’ A Message to the People, leaning into funk-rock with electric energy.
🌌 Earth, Wind & Fire’s Last Days and Time, where Afrofuturist funk and soul meet his vibrant, layered vision.
Funk isn’t just something we hear — it’s certainly something we see, feel and LIVE! 🍾
Gülben - 08/2025
📖 The Music Aficionado - Album Covers by Mati Klarwein
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