Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic Biography Of A Genius
Review: Miles Davis had a complex life and Carr does a good job of understanding the man and his wonderful music. I find this particular book useful when listening to a certain CD and reading the background information about it hat Carr supplies. It gives me a lot more understanding and appreciation for the music. The discography in the back of the book is somewhat hard to read because it lists albums by catalogue number. I had to pencil in the names of the albums to help me cross reference. Nonetheless, a great and entertaining book which recounts a lot of great little tidbits about Miles and also gives us a good account of the turbulent times in which Miles was recording.
Rating: 
Summary: A stupid book
Review: This a book for ..., the man Ian Carr is an ..., The comments he makes about western music are truly ..., I agree with the other reviews, he highlights his lack of musical knowledge when he attempts to discuss musical theory. This book is also very, very,very badly written, probably the worsed written book I've ever read. He doesn't write anything interesting about miles either.Read the 'Miles Davis autobiography' it is a thousand million times better.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Insightful
Review: This book is a pretty good account of Miles Davis' life and music. For the most part most of the information about Miles' life has been covered in other books, and is covered especially well in his own autobiography. The author of this book does know a lot about the music of Miles Davis, which takes center stage in his musical analysis of each album. The appendixes of this book are very well done, I especially enjoy the appendix that has highly detailed information on each album that Miles has played on. For musicians there is an appendix which gives examples in musical notation of Miles Davis' solos. Another element that helps this book is the vast amount of quotes from people that knew Miles personally such as his musicians and friends. All in all, this biography gives a good account of Miles' life and is a great source for information on his music. Read Miles Davis' own autobiography first, then pick up this book.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Insightful
Review: This book is a pretty good account of Miles Davis' life and music. For the most part most of the information about Miles' life has been covered in other books, and is covered especially well in his own autobiography. The author of this book does know a lot about the music of Miles Davis, which takes center stage in his musical analysis of each album. The appendixes of this book are very well done, I especially enjoy the appendix that has highly detailed information on each album that Miles has played on. For musicians there is an appendix which gives examples in musical notation of Miles Davis' solos. Another element that helps this book is the vast amount of quotes from people that knew Miles personally such as his musicians and friends. All in all, this biography gives a good account of Miles' life and is a great source for information on his music. Read Miles Davis' own autobiography first, then pick up this book.
Rating:
Summary: Balanced, sympathetic, but incomplete
Review: This seems to be a balanced and sympathetic account of Miles' artistic life. The focus is largely on the music, sometimes to the detriment of the narrative and a fuller understanding of Miles' personal life. For example, in the next to the last chapter there is the first and only reference to Miles' bisexuality. In addition, there is very little follow-up on the lives of his parents, siblings, wives and children. Carr also assumes you have a basic grasp of the history of jazz and popular music of the 20th century, not bothering to explain background such as the recording bans of the 40's. But if you want to sink your teeth into what made Miles a great artist and innovator, then this book should satisfy your hunger.
Rating:
Summary: Balanced, sympathetic, but incomplete
Review: This seems to be a balanced and sympathetic account of Miles' artistic life. The focus is largely on the music, sometimes to the detriment of the narrative and a fuller understanding of Miles' personal life. For example, in the next to the last chapter there is the first and only reference to Miles' bisexuality. In addition, there is very little follow-up on the lives of his parents, siblings, wives and children. Carr also assumes you have a basic grasp of the history of jazz and popular music of the 20th century, not bothering to explain background such as the recording bans of the 40's. But if you want to sink your teeth into what made Miles a great artist and innovator, then this book should satisfy your hunger.
Rating:
Summary: Have read better Miles books
Review: This was the 4th biography about Miles Davis I had read. I guess once you read 2 or 3 biographies about a person you don't learn much new information. Although well written I don't think this is the best account of Miles Davis life a fan could read. I recommend Miles Davis Autobiography or Milestones before reading this one.
Rating:
Summary: Have read better Miles books
Review: This was the 4th biography about Miles Davis I had read. I guess once you read 2 or 3 biographies about a person you don't learn much new information. Although well written I don't think this is the best account of Miles Davis life a fan could read. I recommend Miles Davis Autobiography or Milestones before reading this one.
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