Miles

This book was really awesome! I am a young, beginner jazz enthusiast so I started with the King of jazz and worked my way around. I made a great choice. Not only does Miles give a great account of his music, but also recollects other notable musicians in the process. Which makes it worth wild to study their music further too. I thought this book was going to read like a memoir, you know very tight and numerical and mostly personal, and I was wrong. But its in a good way Davis moves from person to person, place to place and it keeps readers (at least me) on their heels. The first thing I ever heard about Miles Davis (way before I discovered his music) was that he was mean, disrespectful, and cold. Miles confirms these personality traits but he also justifies them in an odd but believable way. He made me understand why he grew so cold and by the end of the book (the last few pages I'm on now) he makes me sympathize with him. I have read many reviews about the book and most are correct. He is bold in this book, holds no punches, tells no colorful stories (I still can't get the taxi cab story with Bird out of my head), and he remains upfront and personal throughout the read. Some say he is simply racist, contradictory, and hateful toward his musical peers, but those people fail to understand the story of black folk. The whole of this nation and the western world is one big contradiction and I think, indirectly, Davis displays this fact through his references to events and stuff in his life. And as for disrespecting other legends, he doesn't do this in a way that demonizes them. He gives Bird the worst time (second to maybe Coltrane or Monk) but at the same time he explains how he worshiped the jazz god. For the most part, everything Davis explains is true about the story of our people and our music and lifestyle. If you don't like it, you may find that you are apart of the problem, black or white. This book isn't a literacy masterpiece but I truly believe Davis put his feelings into this good read and that makes it a must read for music lovers. One final note about the read of the book: I like how Davis gives readers insight on how jazz slowly dies through progression of music and the emergence of Funk and "White Rock" and "Hillbilly music". He explains how the music (jazz) becomes white washed and another stolen item from the black experience. He also gives a great account of his own progression through the years of bebop, ballad, "cool", fusion, and free jazz forms. This book is cool, hip, and truthful. On the shape of the book: Seller described it as in good shape but a bit worn and it was. There was now notes or marks inside and that made me very happy. Came before it was scheduled to, but who complains about stuff like that? Not me!

Well, what is there to say? As a hard-core music fan and someone who has known some of those mentioned in the book, this is a reality that so many are unaware of, a reality far beyond mere competence on a chosen instrument.... the early fascination with music,the yearning for the new, creativity, searching, hard work, deep research, the search for perfection, experiences that affect everything in one's life, enlightened, eclectic, lots of sex, the appreciation of beauty in all of its forms, love and the lack of it, loss, race unityand disunity, awareness and manhood; gritty and real, yet in some ways dishonest as to the damage he wrought while a cocaine addict. This book will change some people, repel some people, and leave some amazed as they travel through Europe on long train rides, such as yours truly. I refused to read it for a long time because he hit Cicely Tyson! Of course there were others, too. Artistic genius is glorious and too often destructive to all of those in its area, a hot but irresistable fire whose burns are, nonetheless, bragged about for a lifetime by some. Some of us have learned to steer clear, quite content to live what appears to be a boring life made richer by those we cannot fathom. I suggest, to the beginner, to those grizzled with experience, and all those in between that you read John Szwed's brilliant biography of Miles, "So What," first. It will lend much-needed perspective.

Delivered on time, no damage and good read , Good job guys.

Kudos to the narrator, it was as if I was sitting down talking to Miles himself. I must say that I was amazed at the anger and hatred that Mr. Davis carried with him throughout his life. Perhaps it was this angst was the vehicle that fueled his musical aspirations. I'll let the reader make more judgements on Miles in the realm of why Miles had so much hate flowing in him. On the other side of the coin, here was this musician who was driven by his love for music to strive to perfect his art and communicate his emotions through his trumpet and his musical guidance of other musicians. Miles is blunt in his observations, be it working with Parker and Trane, to hob-knobbing with Cicily Tyson and the jet-setters that she associated with. This autobiography inspired me to investigate Thelonius Monk, Charlie Mingus and Sonny Rollins to name a few. I've been a fan of Coltrane and Parker and knew of their lives prior to reading Miles' autobiography. This is a must-read or a must-listen for anyone who is interested in learning about a person who has shaped music and the jazz genre. I am not sure if Miles would have liked what I wrote hear, but if you could read this Miles... I salute you!

C'est merveilleux !

1990 paperback edition. Must-have for any jazz cat like myself. A few B&W photos inside. Lean and mean edition, what can I say more?

A very interesting story of half a century of jazz from an insider. A sincere and unapologetic (and often opinionated) account of the life of Miles Davis and for extension of about a half century of jazz, starting from the 40s (bebop era) to the 80s. Davis tells about his approach to music and his attempt not to be stuck on the past, he also doesn't try to hide his lows (there are many highs too) and gives us a very interesting account of the racial problems affecting afro-american jazzmen in the American society. A must read not only for all people interested in music (jazz or otherwise) but also as an account of the social aspects involved. La storia di Miles Davis e per estensione di mezzo secolo di Jazz da parte di uno dei suoi protagonisti. Un racconto sincero and senza scuse (a volte anche supponente) della sua vita, dagli anni Quaranta (l'era del bebop, di cui fu uno dei principali esponenti) fino agli anni Ottanta. Davis racconta il suo approccio alla musica e la sua volontà di non restare ancorato al passato, non nasconde alti e bassi della sua vita e come il problema razziale abbia influenzato la vita dei jazzisti afro-americani. Una lettura consigliata a tutti gli amanti della musica (jazz e non) anche per i risvolti sociali affrontati.

Posiblemente una de las mejores autobiografías que he leído. Describe muy bien a una persona.

Great book for Miles lovers