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Summary: An education in music
Review: If you want to know about the true history of Jazz and the life and music of Miles Davis,you need to look no further than this book.Miles tells it like it is.A true education in Jazz,music in general and the life of Miles.I have gotten much deeper into his music since I read this book and I'm glad I did.
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Summary: A straight forward look into Miles Davis life and opinions
Review: I listened to Miles Davis's recordings for about a year before I purchased this book. I wanted to find out more about this gifted musician and found alot of insight into Miles Davis. While I don't agree with some of his opinions, I admire him for his bluntness of his beliefs. I especially enjoyed reading about his collaboration with Gil Evans and how such immortal classics as "Sketches of Spain", "Miles Ahead", and "Porgy and Bess" were developed and made into classics of Jazz. His opinions about fellow Jazz musicians are not sugar coated in any degree, either Miles liked you or he didn't, no middle ground. Yet, he admits his flaws and weaknesses, but makes no apologies for his past and the way he lived. His views of music critics and race relations are bitter, yet those were his experiences as he saw it. This biography of Miles in my opinion is the best insight into the musician and the man printed so far.
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Summary: A Must Read!
Review: Truly one of my favorite books of all-time. It's a poignant narrative into the life, times and music of one of America's greatest artistic treasures, Mile Davis. After reading the book, I have not only a better understanding and appreciation for his music but also a greater sense of his personality and temperment. In short, it's a must read for every fan of jazz or pop culture.
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Summary: Great lesson of life and music
Review: Miles reveals his music and life secret in the best way: being himself All the world behind a legend in a very complete and vivid description. A true lesson of life and jazz.
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Summary: a true maverick
Review: this book is great.i 've read this book many times over.i like his honesty about the state of music.his influences and his impact on the music world.the things he is looking for in sound and color.his feelings on race,class,success,ladies,structure&the world.getting his feelings on duke,dizzy,jimi hendrix,james brown,sly stone,prince,michael jackson&wynton marsalis,herbie hancock,john coltrane among many.this book was well presented by quincy troupe.it's one of the greatest subject matters that i've ever read.that's the vibe of miles davis.the highs&lows.i also liked the bond of him&richard pryor and sugar ray robinson.so many great moments within the context on this book.it sheds light on personnel things in mr davis's life.a true must read on a musical pioneer genius&legend.
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Summary: A Milestone
Review: If you really want to understand a fundamental chapter in the history of jazz you ought to read the Miles Davis' Autobiography. The book brings light into the life of The Prince of Darkness.
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Summary: The whole truth, nothing but the truth
Review: This book is a gospel for all true jazz lovers. Miles tells all about the jazz scene in such a vivid manner, that you will feel like he is talking directly to you. you will laugh, you will cry, you will learn about all the heavy hitters of the 30s, 40s,50s, 60s,and beyond. miles was so on the money on a lot of issues and he didnt pull any punches when he talked about his own much publicized short comings. He will tell you about every band,every recording session and what impact that it had on his life at that time. Every musician that he ever played with is included in this book. This is a great biography. You will truly understand what a powerful musician miles really was, and the great impact that this trumpet giant made on the music world. This book is a must read for all true jazz lovers.
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Summary: essential insider's view of jazz history
Review: All of the comments above are valid, so I am not going to repeat that stuff. Read this book if you are into what was jazz music from the 1940s to 1980s. It is a great read. Recently, CNN ran a story about how jazz music is less than 2% of record sales now in the United States. Why might this situation be so? Miles explains why. He knew and predicted it in this book. The man's prescience is uncanny. See for yourself.
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Summary: Very good and interesting
Review: When I first read this book, I was instantly drawn into this book, I am very interested in jazz. To read this book helped me to broaden my knowledge of the jazz era. It has everything about Miles, because he wrote it. He has a lot of interesting stories. It also talks about other musicians. Bird, Diz, Coltrane, and Herbie Hancock. It is the definitive book on the bebop and funk eras.
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Summary: Half inspiring, half provocative, all engaging...
Review: This is a powerful book. The way in which Miles conveys his message to the reader is so gripping that you can't help but be enthralled. There is so much to absorb that it will definitely leave you satisfied. What I liked the most about this book is how he described his relationships with the other prominent jazz musicians of the 40s and 50s. His insights gave me a much clearer sense of jazz history, and it also gave me some interesting background information I could keep in mind as I listen to the old CDs. (The pictures are an added bonus.)Although I think this is an excellent book, I must say it is not without its flaws. I think the first two-thirds of the book (the first 13 chapters, which cover the period between his birth and the late 60s--when he became electric/funk oriented) are MUCH more engaging than the final seven chapters, which cover everything up to the present. His vulgar, yet powerful tone remains consistent throughout the book, but he starts talking more about drugs and his problems with with women while he only glosses over what he was doing musically. And when he starts talking about the musicians in his later bands, he often only presents a laundry list of names without really going into any detail about their character or any experiences he's shared with them (like he did with those in the first half of the book). This can bog the reader down because it makes it difficult to identify with what's going on. He just says "I liked what so-and-so was playing" or something like that, and that can get repetitive. Also, the way he ends the later chapters doesn't really grip the reader and compel him to read further like the way he ended the earlier chapters. In a way, sometimes his writing becomes cliche and predictable, and it makes me wonder if Miles was becoming increasingly impatient as the book progressed. I don't know if the final few chapters of the book are more boring because he's talking about drugs a lot or if it's because he's not playing jazz or if it's because the people and musicians in his life seem more anonymous or if it's because his later musicians were more obscure, but whatever it is, it's frustrating. But despite all this, the wild ride Miles takes us on during the first 13 chapters or so makes this book more than worth the price of admission.
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