Miles

i think i got somewhere around halfway through it before i stopped reading it on a regular basis. miles davis DOES NOT HOLD BACK! you will laugh your ass off reading some of the things he says. you can almost picture him and hear him saying these crude and vulgar things and i, for one, love it!

This is one of the best autobiographys that I have ever read. Miles Davis delivers on this outstanding book at the same level as his musical masterpieces! What makes this book a must read for all jazz fans, and all true music historians as well,is how Miles explains in detail what the emotions,concepts and inspirations, that were behind his masterworks. He also discusses the history of modern american jazz music from all styles such as: swing and big band,bebop,hard bop,cool,vocals,acid jazz,rock fusion,blues and funk. You will also get plenty of information about the inner workings on the business side of the music industry as well. In this book, you will read and get plenty of insight about the greatest legends in the jazz world,people such as:John Coltrane,Dexter Gordon,Louis Armstrong,Charlie Parker,Billy Eckstine,Art Blakey,Billie Holiday,Ella Fitzgerald,Michael Henderson,Dizzy Gillespie,Herbie Hancock,John McLaughlin,Gil Evans,Clark Terry,Wayne Shorter,Jack Dejohnette, and Thelonious Monk. Of course,there are too many legends to mention. There are also a lot of great photos of Miles and other Jazz greats. What I also really enjoyed in this book was Miles's candor. He doesn't pull any punches when discussing the racism against black people in America (Especially when it comes to whites taking credit for black music, and art through out history). This was a man that was outspoken,and had a lot of strength,character,pride and intelligence. Those qualities in a black person, at a time of blatant racism in The United States, could have created serious problems. But,Miles Davis didn't give a damn! He was also a really funny dude,and there were some parts of this book that left me in stitches. You will also read about all of those hot legendary jazz clubs from;St.Louis,Washington D.C.,NYC,Harlem,L.A.,San Francisco,Paris,Tokyo and London. Miles, also makes the reader feel as though you were living the life of a jazz musician,he talks about all of the late nights,club dates,tours,sexy women, and the hard drugs, in a very graphic manner. He really opens up,and allows you to come into his life in this outstanding autobiography. I highly recommend this book for all students in the art of jazz music.

Written with much candor and some bitterness, this book gives incredible insight into one of the greatest musical minds of modern jazz, but also gives valuable perspective on the lives and music of other giants, such as Parker, Gillespie, Coltrane, etc., with amusing anecdotes about older players - Coleman Hawkins, Duke Ellington, etc.

Naturally, one might argue that there is a certain amount of pose in Miles- using of fowl language; see for example Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs) generated on this site (this is pasted from the store, but I omitted letters in order not to offend the the store policies...):

# modal thing, hip s--t, s--t off nobody, stupid bu----it, great trumpet player, bad m---------ker, working band, silly s--t, real hip, shooting heroin #

See how much music is there?

But, seriously, this sort of attitude goes with his lifestyle - he even mocks himself for being too much fashion conscious...

The problem is that the book is not edited well enough< not only that certain tales are retold too many times (or in bad prose), the cuss words are boring because they are unimaginative. Add "he played his a.. off" and you covered nearly everything Miles said about some players who are very important not only for the history of jazz, but also for Miles- personal history.

Still, fascinating book, very useful for understanding significant aspects of American culture
(f. i. I get how he didn-t like Satchmo-s, Dizzy-s or Bird-s goofy monkying around and grinning, but I don-t for the life of me understand how can he put Prince and other figures of modern or contemporary popular music on the same level as Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and other giants of jazz he discusses).

Well, the controversial aspects never hurt a book...

Not a perfect piece of work (therefore only 4 stars), but compelling and therefore obligatory reading for all jazz fans.
Here are some Miles Davis albums I like: Bags Groove,
Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud (Lift To The Scaffold): Original Soundtrack,Porgy and Bess,Steamin',Somethin' Else,Sketches of Spain,Birth of the Cool,

Although conventional wisdom may indicate a pathway to genius as a strait line, point A (prodigy) to point B (fame and renown), it's actually one motherf****er of a zigzag. It ain't a matter of black and white neither, although Miles Davis would have you believe that he was in the middle of a race war conducted at his expense where his climb to glory was clouded behind a storm of white critics, corporate America and the perceptions of white Americans (he became the highest paid jazz performer in history). The picture that does come to focus is one of focused dedication, unique intelligence and an astonishing series of musical visions which carry a young dentist's son from East St. Louis to worldwide fame.

Miles takes us on his journey in his own colorful vernacular from day one to the year before his death, a rare, delectible treat in an autobio. Redacted are specific musical methods and cumbursome jazz theory, but the discussion is generous in his crediting others who have come in and out of his bands and contributed to the music he made: Gil Evans, John Coltrane, Dizzy, Bird, Shorter, Hancock, even his own nephew, who he eventually fires. The man is not the loner one might think and thrives in the company of musicians and artists but sadly succombs to the artist's best friend: drug dealers.

His mistrust of the world around him was exacerbated by prodigious drug use and sad realizations of who got what for the art form he helped create. Elvis is tossed aside, "lazy white musicians" performing crap, but he's at his most loquacious when describing his visions of a musical chart for his art and his heartfelt recollection of collaborators gone by, many lost to the same drugs in which he wallowed, many white. The language goes into full bloom as he recounts the many women he either married, had children with or simply bedded. He claims to have never gone after another band member's lady, but anyone else was fair game.

What makes Miles, the book, most appealing is his humanity, his stark feelings on his fellow man and the insight one gets from hearing a smart guy tell his tale of an artist's circuitous journey to legend. Not once do you hear a dishonest note and we're party to a vibrant blueprint that now, after his passing, makes me Kind of Blue.

For the uninitiated (like me, a few months back), when you first approach the figure of Miles Davis, only looking at him from a musical standpoint, you can't avoid but be marveled at his brilliance, at how he invented and reinvented himself and jazz at large once and again, something that deserves the uttermost respect. But when you delve into his life, you realize that his was one that was filled with demons: living on the edge, pimping for money to finance his heroin addiction, struggling to get by at times, to come back victorious at others, with his 'act' cleaned up to put together a group of brilliant musicians and turn jazz on its head once more.
I picked up "Miles" a couple of weeks ago, and I haven't been able to put it down. The style of the book is raw, but direct: granted you can't go past a few paragraphs without reading him curse his way through a memory of an episode of his life, but this is his personal account, without a filter, without political correctness, which is good, because that is certainly one thing Miles was not: politically correct.
Complementing in a very balanced way facts about his life with their ups and downs, with very vivid and detailed descriptions about gigs and sessions all through his life, and never skipping the "ugly" parts of the story, this book has given me a deeper respect for a man that could overcome his demons to come out victorious and more creative time and again.

Miles Davis, with all his faults, flaws and laughable quirks, was still one of the most important musicians of the twentieth century. It takes a book like this where he leaves no stone unturned to make clear the debt we all owe him and his contemporaries, as well as the restless spirit that lead him beyond what he helped to establish as modern jazz. In many ways he shows himself to be, ironically, the archetypal and sterotypical artist simultaneously. Yet his telling of the profound friendships he had with Max Roach and Coltrane, his deep awe and respect but dispassionate eye for the genius and addictions of Charlie Parker, the loves of his life- and what he put them through, and his brutal, courageous hoonesty in general, gives us a gift of his haunting humanity.
But above all, this about the music. His own telling of his style, the true creators of the form in total and the actual environment where it was produced, and how he created so many styles of his own is enough to make this book worth having.
You will never find another human being who can make curse words sound so beautiful!
If you love jazz, or are a jazz musician, this book will remind you why. And why you love Miles. Everybody does.

This is a very informative book. It is written in the flavor of Miles Davis. I found out about his life and what made him what he was and why he did what he did. It is always interesting to read how people get to where they get to in life. I've been listening to Jazz seriously since 1965. What this book did for me was to make the music have a depth that was lacking in my life. It tells of the climate of the music and all the people throughout the various stages of his life. I understand the music better, because I understand the people better. It gave the stories behind each album Miles made. Now when I listen, I listen differently. I know why he made the album and the story behind each one. Musicains that played before my time become alive. Miles becomes alive. I understand what his music was about to him and what he was about. I understand his social ravings. The only thing not enjoyable was the constant cursing. I understand that it has to be in the book, because that is how Miles talked. It makes the book authentic. However, it is tiring after awhile to read the same word over and over and over. However, the book flows along. The story flows along easily I learned from the life of Miles Davis what tormented genius is. Anyone who listens to Jazz at any level should definately buy this book.

In Miles Davis' autobiography Miles tells everything in an open and honest manner, maybe to some degree too open and honest, some of his information in this book makes other musicians look bad. He talks openly about which guys did heroin, and who he had aruguments with and much, much more. What is even better is that Miles speaks candidly about his own problems in life, he covers his coke addiction (which was one of the reasons he retired for about 6 years), his heroin addiction, his sex life, ect. Miles also openly displays his opinions about everything, reading this book makes me feel like I've had a deep conversation with Miles. His writing is vulgar (this book has about a million cuss words), which adds to the feeling that he's telling his life story naturally without any interference from his editor. In this autobiography Miles Davis' entire life is covered in a well detailed fashion, with many great stories thrown in for entertainment. This is the best autobiography I've read, and I throughly recommend it to all Miles Davis fans.

Miles davis pulled no punches when he wrote this incredibly honest memoir. His candor about himself and other luminaries of the jazz world is indispensible reading to jazz fans and anyone with an interest in music. He reveals many unflattering characteristics but also freely praises other musicians with whom he played and clearly describes why they deserve such praise. One can learn a great deal about the creative process and the environment that drove these musicians to explore and expand musically. Miles Davis is equally honest about heroin addiction and his and others struggle to overcome it. Some succeded, many more failed. Characters like Charlie parker, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Dizz Gillespie, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane , Monk and countless others float in and out of the story as Miles Davis and others were forming and reforming combinations due to a variety of circumstances. The music scene in New York in the late 40's and early 50's was overflowing with soon to be legendary performers. Davis had a vision of what his music should sound like and he relentlessly pursued that sound through the decades and evolved as an artist moving one step ahead (if not several steps ) of everyone else. I've always loved Davis' music but after reading this it is impossible not to admire the man's artisitc integrity. This guy was clearly a Giant of American music and nothing in this book will diminish his stature artistically. I feel that I understand the records and the context of the music much better for having read this. Highly recommended.

Many will argue that Miles Davis is the single most important individual contributor to American music. Whether this is true or not, his life as well as his music is certainly worth a close examination. ...For those like me wondering what he thought, this work was eagerly awaited.
Miles starts with his childhood, and quickly moves into his early love of music and his more formal training. He speaks candidly of the many individuals with whom he helped shape jazz music, like Bird, Dizzy, Jones, Trane and a host of others. Interestingly, he projects that jazz will continue drawing fewer and fewer fans as the years pass. Perhaps another innovator like Miles Davis will come along before it is too late, and save this particularly American art form.
My only complaint? The book is too real. I found the incessant obscenity much too distracting. ...After a short time, it loses its punch.
The only thing missing would have been a soundtrack. A couple of his boxed sets to go along with this work is the only necessary accessory.

Firstly, anyone that really loves a good autibiography filled with raw emotion can appreciate this book. True, avid Jazz fans will love it, but it's not tailor made for them. This story lacks the technical jargon that only jazz fanatics can dismenate. It explains the personal ups and downs that Miles endured during his career. The eager prodigy who burst upon the bebop scenes in the 1940's with giants like Charlie Parker and Billy Eckstine is chronicled with an astute visualation. Miles almost seems to be impressing his macho image upon Troupe at times. We are constantly reminded of Miles' "no nonsense" attitude on several matters. This book can be both disturbing and hilarious at the same time. Miles depiction of jazz icons Eckstine and Parker is filled with colorful "witty" dialogue. I truly loved this book. I can't imagine the excitement the author must have felt absorbing this wonderful story!

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.

I had listened to the wonderful music of this man for over 20 years before reading this book. He was my initiation in the endlessly engrossing world of jazz and his strikingly engineered appearence served as a way to distinguish myself from my adolescent peers who preferred rock stars. I own at least half of the albums he made and still find new things in them whenever I listen to them. There is genius in what he created.
Unfortunately, reading his story in his own words took more away than it gave me. Miles Davis is, in short, a horrible person: full of bitterness and hatred, despising women while exploiting them, and narcissistic to his very core. His views are primitive and bigoted, so politically uncorrect that it demonstrates why PC is not all bad! He was also wantonly self-destructive and frequently drug addicted, for which he offers neither lessons nor apologies. The lack of care and humility in the way he reveals all of this is truly stunning and crude, written as it is in a ridiculously self-conscious black jive. He literally embodies the notion that there is a destructive side to all creativity.
That being said, the book also offers a fascinating history of jazz, the major movements of which he changed or affected fundamentally at least 4 or 5 times from 1940 to about 1977. It was an amazing career, and a great gift to us all. And in this book, he offers himself up naked and scarred.

Wow! I recently inhaled this book and felt obliged to review it. It is captivating and unapologetic, even brutal at times... and REAL... I loved it for this.
Great works of art can easily appear larger than life when they are displayed in museums or remastered in handsome packaging for the world to enjoy... It's easy to be rightfully consumed by their beauty and forget the harshness of life that beats down on us all (artists included).
Miles Davis's music for me is the ultimate escape... the ultimate adventure into a relaxing, interesting aural universe. So I must admit it was a quick jolt to the system to read autobiographical tales of neglect, addiction, jealousy, financial stuggle, broken relationships, boastful egos, clashes with authority, poor health, disposable relationships and racial unrest in the United States... the writing here is REAL. The 400+ pages here have potential to "push buttons" and have you shaking your head in disbelief. In today's homogenized Brittany Spears world of image obsession and greed, it's a pleasure to read a book by someone who just "doesn't care".
Miles lets his beautiful but imperfect soul speak. I wouldn't want to read otherwise.

Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis and Quincy Troupe *****

Miles Davis has always been a fasinating character to me so when I realized that there was an autobiography of him I tracked it down and bought it. While and after I read the book I didn't know what to think. I mean it is not your typical autobiography. It doesn't talk about most of the stuff you would expect him to talk about and when he does talk about it it's very brief and not in depth in the slightest, but at the same time it is still very interesting. The drug addiction, the women, the violence, the racism, everything the man went through is here. Not much is said about his children how ever, I'm not sure if that is purposeful or not but he does say that his sons are "screw ups" so it is all possible that he just didn't give to nothings about them, though when he briefly mentions his daughter he seems very proud of her. So all in all Miles is a great and interesting tale of one of the most important, original, and influential musicians of all time.

My only complaints are that Miles comes across as an ego maniac though he claims he is not several times in the book. The other one is that Miles Davis is one of the biggest and most racist men in all of history. Everything he says about being treated like nothing because he is black is the same way they he treated white people and the saddest part was that he couldn't even see that he was doing it. He claimed that blacks did everything better and white people stole everything. I will admit white people steal a lot, whites are essentially the `vultures of culture' but blacks did not invent everything, whites, Mexicans, and every other race invented things, and just because some one was influenced by it doesn't mean they copied it like he claims. Also just because someone invented something does not mean they do it the best, to even say that applies prejudice. It depends on the person not what color they are. As a musician Miles is killer, but as a person he really just sucked.

So if you can get past this then Miles is a great and interesting read.

Excellent book with a caveat that there are two books buried within one. The first is about Miles' music while the second is about Miles' personal life.
The book covering the music is insightful and rich with specific insights into his creative process and its evolution, the musicians who shaped him and his music, and the breadth of feeling and love he has for music (paraphrase: it's been in my blood as long as I can remember). This is the joyful book.
The other book about his life since childhood is less joyful and less enriching. Without falling into pop psycho analysis too much, this portion of the book reflects a very lonely man who has misogynist views, an angry man whose talent put on him at the top of the music world (truly a deserved legend) who carries levels of envy and at times racism, and a man who claims to have many friends but seems like his only true friend (not surprising) is his music. This is the addict story in all of its glory.
The book's style is very interesting. When Miles is talking about his personal life the language of the book is full of ghetto slang to the point it seems like he lacks the language to explain himself. When talking about his music, it is scholarly. The language is crisp, enthusiastic, and again very loving of the process, the sound, and the people.
I love and revere his music. I would have liked a very bad biography as long as it discussed the music. This is not a bad auto bio and at times is wonderful when tempo, drummers, and Trane/Dizzy/Bird and so many others get their due and his focus.

Miles Davis's autobiography with Quincy Troupe has to be one of the best books I've ever read. Constantly entertaining, tragic, hysterically funny and with lots of great stories it, the book is a must have for any fan of jazz. All of Miles's life is here, from his earliest memory, his arrival in New York, his fabulous recordings of the '50s and '60s, his six years where he didn't play at all, to his triumphant return in the '80s. The book was published only two years before his death, so really everything that he ever did is in this book. Highly reccomended.

I stayed up all night reading this, riveted to my chair -- it was like sitting in a hotel room with Miles, listening to him rap about his life. You begin to understand the man, and what it was like to be black in 1940s and 50s America, and why he almost hated white people (he didn't, really, but he remained deeply suspicious of them throughout his life, and after you read this book you'll understand why). You also dig the presence of Charlier Parker, Sonny Rollins, and take an armchair ride on their musical quests.

I use the present tense when I describe this book as a classic, because I could read this multiple times and never get bored, while gaining large amounts of knowledge. This book is brilliant because it is honest. It is a first hand account of his life that really cannot be explained by anyone else but himself, Miles Davis. Miles starts from his earliest memories all the way to the end in this book without holding anything back. He does not limit his speech to selective words that would hinder the actual situation. He tells everything truthfully with no fluff. This is definitely one of the most treasured jazz read in the history of literature. If you are a serious musician or an active listener of this music, I highly suggest you read it. Besides learning everything from Miles perspective and how his life was, you will also gain knowledge on the music himself and how the other players of his time were like. Buy this now, you will not regret!

Miles in his words, with all the raw emotion, anger, bitterness, of a man who changed the course of jazz at least 3 times in his life..this is one of my favorite bio's of all-time because I never felt pandered to or appeased..this is the way Miles viewed his life and art and if you don't like it, tough...but if you want to try to understand the grist of an artist's soul this is a book you do not want to miss.

This artist was fantastic, breathtaking in the way he carried himself, his music, and his life in general. He was messianic in terms of what he brought to jazz, a saving grace when jazz music languished on shelves untouched by consumer hands. He worked, baby, to rise above the strict confines of his race, striving not to be a black man, not to be a jazz artist, but to be just a man, just an artist. When drugs worked their evil hoodoo to take him out of the game, he launched a pre-emptive strike and used the time gone to fight his way up from hell.
Brutally honest and outstanding to read. The last angry man, he isn't. But the last angry great man, he just might have been.

Not great literature, and not exceptionally insightful. Miles' public persona was a construct, affecting intentionally coarse language and simplistic, conflicting views. Lest you haven't gotten your share of that in the numerous interviews he gave, you can get your fill here. One might say that Miles in his own words is just being "direct"; one might also say that, in terms of this gutteriffic book versus the man's incredible music, his crudeness is hugely disappointing. The best things Miles ever said were thru his music. For measured commentary on his life and work, you'll have to turn elsewhere.
Speaking of which, the highly recommended Milestones by Jack Chambers, in its 1998 edition, detailed several passages of Miles autobio that were direct rips from Chambers' own texts. Anyone who thinks Miles' book is the bomb should at least glance at Chambers' recent forward to Milestones, which should raise an eyebrow or two. (Milestones itself is probably the best Miles bio available, in any case.) It's kind of fitting, though; Miles wasn't exactly a stranger to assigning his own name to someone else's music, so why would he be above plagiarizing words? Especially when there's a book advance already doled out and a deadline approaching?
I don't mean to demean the musician, though; Miles was obviously a giant and one of the most important visionaries of the 20th century. But again, it's the music itself that tells that particular story. What you get here, in Chambers' words, is "self-inflicted tabloid journalism." The sleazy parts are not worth detailing, and the questions regarding authorship and originality can be distracting to the discerning reader.

After a close friend of mine bought me the classic jazz cd 'Kind of Blue' for my birthday a few years ago, I became a Miles Davis fan. This book takes you right through Miles' life and times, both the good and the bad. It is also written in Miles' language and for me this was a real capture of the man. I can't say that I agree with the foul language he consistently used though.

I read this book about once every two years. Miles is among and has worked with the most important people in 20th century American Music. Essential reading for anyone interested in the genre.
A fun game: try to find any 4 consecutive pages that don't contain the F word.

This is definitely THE Jazz autobiography. Miles as controversial as ever. He just could have explained better why he left Jazz and started playing that weird fusion stuff... Mr. Troupe's wonderful ghostwriting job must be acknowledged.

I've been listening to Miles Davis' music for quite sometime. His music made me respect him but reading this book made me hate him a bit. First off, Miles Davis' was a little spoiled bastard, self destructive, and disrespectful to women. He wasn't a good father. He was a drug fiend. He contradicts himself a lot. Despite the negatives this is a deep and engaging read for not just jazz fans but fans of music.

Great autobiography. Miles was a serious foul mouth and it totally works with the writing. He hates white people, but his best friend, Gil Evans was white. If I remember correctly, his favorite song was: Time After Time (Cindy Lauper). Just an example of the unexpected facts. It's totally worth reading.

Great autobiography. Miles was a serious foul mouth and it totally works with the writing. He hates white people, but his best friend, Gil Evans was white. If I remember correctly, his favorite song was: Time After Time (Cindy Lauper). Just an example of the unexpected facts. It's totally worth reading.

MILES reads like a discography with transcribed, unedited interviews; however, a few fantastic observations manage to show up. For example:

"'Bird of the Cool' became a collector's item, I think, out of a reaction to Bird and Dizzy's music. Bird and Diz play this hip, real fast thing, and if you weren't a fast listener, you couldn't catch the humor or the feeling in their music. Their musical sound wasn't sweet, and it didn't have harmonic lines that you could easily hum out on the street with your girlfriend trying to get over with a kiss. Bebop didn't have the humanity of Duke Ellington. It didn't even have that recognizable thing. Bird and Diz were great, fantastic, challenging--but they weren't sweet. But 'Birth of the Cool' was different because you could hear everything and hum it also."

MILES could have been 200 pages shorter and only focused on Davis' thoughts about music--perhaps as a musical memoir?--and it would have said a whole lot more.

An excellent book, you really get to see what life was like in america for an african american jazz musician, and also miles seemed to know everybody, in the jazz world, i hope they make a movie off of this!

I'm a bit disappointed with this autobiography. I'm not a fan of Davis', I was just curious to read his life, but he seems to have given just bits of it. Or a very superficial account of it, if you will.

Well, if you are a fan, you'll probably find a lot to enjoy. There are very long parts of book relating the recording sections of his records, complete with anecdotes and technical explanation.
I was more interested in his life experience, and here I didn't find much. I don't mean that he didn't recount his life. He did. But he did this in a very superficial way, in my opinion.

The first part, regarding his youth, is maybe the more interesting. He gets in details on many things: his relation with his parents, Saint Louis in his childhood, what he did when he went to New York, the places he haunted, the people he knew, how life was in Harlem in those days. But even here I felt something lacking. Music is obviously a very important part of his life, and still he tells so little about it. What did he feel? Why did he feel such compel to play? What was his inner drive? What did music give him that nothing else could? This is never, ever addressed in the book, not here, where everything started, and even less later on.

As his life comes near to the time he wrote the book, insight becomes even more spars. I was interested in knowing how life was like for an African American - even as famous as he was - before the Civil Right Movement, but I found very little of this. He recounts a lot of his fellow musicians, but I never got a real sense of the ambience he lived in. He never gives insight into that world, or into himself. He never enters the way music changed. I mean the way this living animal - music - changed with the changing of times. He never even touches the historical events he went through. Which is a real shame, because he lived in very interesting times.

So, his life is there. It was an intense life. But I feel like I was allowed to touch only a very little part of it.