Miles: The Autobiography
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- Create Date：2021-05-09 11:53:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Miles Davis
- ISBN：0330313827
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Summary
'LISTEN。 The greatest feeling I ever had in my life -- with my clothes on -- was when I first heard Diz and Bird back in 1944。 I've come close to matching the feeling of that night， but I've never quite got there。 I'm always looking for it， trying to always feel it in and through the music I play 。。。'
Reviews
Rick
，
Loved learning about the incredible life of an artist that did it his way and that way was genius。 A candid recollection of his life and touches on the music of every album he created。 An insightful guide for any fan to detail the process and personnel from the creator's mind。 A must read， but be prepared for a number of mf-bombs in very light-hearted way。 Loved learning about the incredible life of an artist that did it his way and that way was genius。 A candid recollection of his life and touches on the music of every album he created。 An insightful guide for any fan to detail the process and personnel from the creator's mind。 A must read， but be prepared for a number of mf-bombs in very light-hearted way。 。。。more
Deborah A。
，
Fascinating life and a fascinating read。 Miles Davis was everything is music is。。。 beautiful， complex， groundbreaking， and honest。
Bradford Philen
，
This is a phenomenal book looking not only the life of Miles Davis， but it’s an incredible insight into art， creation， beauty， the history of America， race， addiction， love， forgiveness， and survival。 This book has everything and feels a lot like the Autobiography of Malcolm X。 I love this book and I think everyone should read it—or audiobook it。 The voice over is just as genius。 A true book of art。。。
Scott J Pearson
，
Miles Davis is known worldwide for musical genius expressed on his trumpet and through his musical groups。 He was a figurehead in many countries for jazz， the quintessentially American cultural expression。 In this autobiography， he teamed with Troupe to tell his story just before he died。 With Troupe， he talked openly about his struggles with drugs， women， and racism。 He spoke bluntly about the people who surrounded him and shared insight into the creative forces at work in his life。He honestly Miles Davis is known worldwide for musical genius expressed on his trumpet and through his musical groups。 He was a figurehead in many countries for jazz， the quintessentially American cultural expression。 In this autobiography， he teamed with Troupe to tell his story just before he died。 With Troupe， he talked openly about his struggles with drugs， women， and racism。 He spoke bluntly about the people who surrounded him and shared insight into the creative forces at work in his life。He honestly describes his struggles with drugs。 Much of the book is repetitive concerning this hardship because this was the nature of Davis’ life。 Unfortunately， drugs prevented him from reaching his full potential。 When he overcame his addictions， he became more musically creative， and the book’s writing reflected this liveliness as well。 Davis found comfort by pursuing painting towards the end of his life。 This allowed him a place to work out his humanity besides his famed trumpet。Troupe does a good job of capturing Davis’ personality。 Much of Davis’ language in this work is vulgar， but in the afterword， Troupe insists that this was natural to Davis’ expression in interviews。 Davis spoke a lot about racism and double standards that American white people carry。 I am saddened that he had to carry this burden throughout his life。Fans of jazz and music in general can benefit from understanding Davis’ voice in this autobiography。 Also， readers can learn about the hardships of being a famous musician who is often on the road and without supportive social structures。 The clearly negative effects of drugs on genius can also be observed。 Engaged readers cannot help but wonder what he could have been （even moreso！） without the impediments of drugs。Miles Davis reinvented himself several times musically throughout his life。 He also reinvented himself spiritually and in daily habits。 All of that spoke to the nature of his immense genius。 Overall， Troupe does a good job of capturing this。 Davis’ language， which tends towards sounding cool rather than being direct， tends to obscure its potential impact。 He overuses vulgar words that could be effectively replaced with clearer language。 Troupe notes that Davis conveyed meaning through these words tonally as well， and this， of course， is hard to convey through the written word。 Overall， Davis’ life represented a triumph of the creative human spirit， though I cannot help but wonder what more he could have contributed had drugs and racism not negatively encumber him。 。。。more
Matt
，
An absolute delight; Miles' voice truly shines through - often rough， sometimes callous， but always full of genius and love for life。 His ruminations on race and America are particularly revealing， and his sense of artistry and musicianship make this required reading for musicians and music lovers。 The section where Miles leaves his home East St。 Louis to pursue music in NYC by searching for Charlie Parker is a real-life fable and a gripping story。 The end drags a bit but even then is chock-full An absolute delight; Miles' voice truly shines through - often rough， sometimes callous， but always full of genius and love for life。 His ruminations on race and America are particularly revealing， and his sense of artistry and musicianship make this required reading for musicians and music lovers。 The section where Miles leaves his home East St。 Louis to pursue music in NYC by searching for Charlie Parker is a real-life fable and a gripping story。 The end drags a bit but even then is chock-full of wisdom and a strong， confident （if occasionally problematic） point of view。 Motherfucker！ 。。。more
Ceste Stanly
，
A lot of expletives， but so fascinating to learn about Miles Davis' musical genius and creative processes。。。as well as his upbringing & influences A lot of expletives， but so fascinating to learn about Miles Davis' musical genius and creative processes。。。as well as his upbringing & influences 。。。more
Emil Marty
，
Didn’t mention Doo-Bop once 😢
Don
，
I might have PTSD from reading this。 Miles words are frank and unapologetic。 Spoken like he's at the barbershop among friends or in an illegal pool hall。 Miles is imperfect but doesn't sensor himself for his audience。 Regardless if you like Jazz or like Miles this book is a must read just to hear the words of an unfiltered， confident and raw human being in an honesty that most people either don't have or are too cautious to express。 I might have PTSD from reading this。 Miles words are frank and unapologetic。 Spoken like he's at the barbershop among friends or in an illegal pool hall。 Miles is imperfect but doesn't sensor himself for his audience。 Regardless if you like Jazz or like Miles this book is a must read just to hear the words of an unfiltered， confident and raw human being in an honesty that most people either don't have or are too cautious to express。 。。。more
Jim McDonald
，
This is a crucial book for anyone who wants to find out more about music in America in the 20th Century。 My review is here: https://redjim73。blogspot。com/2021/04。。。 This is a crucial book for anyone who wants to find out more about music in America in the 20th Century。 My review is here: https://redjim73。blogspot。com/2021/04。。。 。。。more
Bobby
，
Miles: The Autobiography is an enjoyable and insightful look at the career and perspectives of one of the great musical figures in American history。 It's a little rough around the edges， just like its author。 I read it once before when it was a new book and the main thing I remembered about it 30 years later when I returned to it was phrases like "that shit was a motherfucker，" a high compliment coming from Miles when he was talking about music。 To a degree it is this "rough language" that stand Miles: The Autobiography is an enjoyable and insightful look at the career and perspectives of one of the great musical figures in American history。 It's a little rough around the edges， just like its author。 I read it once before when it was a new book and the main thing I remembered about it 30 years later when I returned to it was phrases like "that shit was a motherfucker，" a high compliment coming from Miles when he was talking about music。 To a degree it is this "rough language" that stands out （though I'm not offended in the least by it） as well as his not entirely healthy perspective on women。 Still， there is also his perspective on Monk， Trane， Herbie， Wayne， etc。 that does make this a compelling read。 That said， of the books I've read on Miles I'd recommend Jack Chambers's Milestones biography over this autobiography if you're only going to read one Miles book。 But this is not to be missed by any serious Miles fan。 。。。more
Pecamian
，
This series are absolutely amazing
Bart Kleijngeld
，
I love jazz， and for many years I've listened to （mostly） many of the classic albums， ranging from 40s bebop， to 50s hard-bop， 60s post-bop， 70s fusion， and more。 But that was basically my entire approach towards the music: listening to it。 Sure， I know the names of many prominent musicians and albums， but lately I felt that I might want to reacquaint myself with jazz by getting to know more about its history， the most important scenes and people。 After exploring some reviews and lists， I stumbl I love jazz， and for many years I've listened to （mostly） many of the classic albums， ranging from 40s bebop， to 50s hard-bop， 60s post-bop， 70s fusion， and more。 But that was basically my entire approach towards the music: listening to it。 Sure， I know the names of many prominent musicians and albums， but lately I felt that I might want to reacquaint myself with jazz by getting to know more about its history， the most important scenes and people。 After exploring some reviews and lists， I stumbled upon this autobiography。 I wanted to read it immediately。See， I've learned to appreciate biographies。 At first I feared they'd be a waste of time: surely there's more structured and thorough ways of learning？ But especially after reading Graham Farmelo's biography of the great theoretical physicist Paul Dirac （which is an incredible book）， "The Strangest Man"， the strength of a biography was demonstrated to me very well。 In that book， a marvelous combination of learning about physics， （not just scientific） history， and the interesting life and character of Paul Dirac was a very rich mix。 The biographic red line appealed to your desire to get to know Dirac better， and it would read like an accessible， emotionally appealing story， but you get to learn about all those other aspects during！ When done properly， it really is an amazing genre。So there's this newfound admiration of the biography genre， and this autobiographic book on Miles Davis who is probably my favorite jazz musician; certainly he's the one I've listened to the most。 Also， he's lived through many of the most interesting years of jazz's history。 I simply had to read this， and I did。I'm happy to say that the book has provided what I was craving。 One example the book has achieved in terms of providing interesting historical context is through the New York jazz scene in the mid-to-late 40s。 Miles' commentary has enabled me to more properly understand how bebop music was so special during those times， and it has particularly opened my eyes to Charlie Parker's genius。 I also was fascinated to learn the intentions behindThe Birth of the Cool， namely to make the music more accessible to white people。 The book would be full of explanations like this behind his work， and that was certainly interesting。Many of my favorite jazz musicians came to life through interesting and funny anecdotes， as well as Miles's opinions about and insights about them and their music。 Furthermore， it was very interesting to read about Miles's family and background。 Him coming from a well-off household was special for black people back then。 His father was a very interesting individual for that matter。 He recognized in Miles someone who was extremely driven and strong-willed， and gave him a lot more freedom and support than most fathers would。 This really has been essential for Miles to get where he is today。A major theme in the book is racism。 Reading it I felt a lot of respect for Miles's disgust towards the "Uncle Tomming" many black people used to engage in to please the white man in the 30s and 40s。 The rebel in him felt heroic and genuine， just what I imagine can inspire many black people to feel empowered。 Miles's account of racial problems really put into perspective again how serious racial issues have been in the US， even very recently and to a significant extent still today。 Miles does more than just rebel too。 He believes Black American history should be a larger part in education， including music schools where he believes only dead white people who created European classical music seemed to be studied。It really becomes clear what made Miles stand out as the genius he is considered to be。 First， he was very well trained in his instrument and in musical theory。 He always put the work in， and knew it was important to master what you're doing before you create music。 Also， he would always be expanding his knowledge and influences， actively。 He would listen to other great artists， both on record and live， and he would just soak it all in。 He would come to understand many styles this way， and didn't limit his horizons to just jazz musicians， or even musicians for that matter。 He listened to and studied classical composers， and all sorts of music from around the world， including Spanish music and African music。 Whatever he could lay his hands on to potentially inspire his creativity， he would。 Another crucial trait of his ability to become this distinguished is his strong intuition/vision。 He knew very well what was he likes and doesn't。 This allows for all this information he's gathered to be assessed， and slowly be integrated into his style where he felt this was desired。 Some people can learn a lot of stuff and understand it really well， but lack vision to incorporate these insights into new ideas。 Others have a strong vision， but lack the ability to be inspired very well， causing them to be short lasting。 Miles Davis possessed both of these qualities to a significant extent， enabling him to renew his style again and again， for decades to come。 Finally， he had a great eye for bringing the right people together。 He recognized talent， and quickly identified if someone's style was what fitted his （new） ideas。 Especially later in his career this became a more dominant trait， where he would allow his fellow musicians mote creative freedom， although he would at all times protect what was going on relative to what he envisioned。My overall impression of the book wasn't just positive though。 It's quite lengthy， and it could really have benefitted from more structure like some kind of division of parts in his career， or at least chapters with descriptive titles。 It being an autobiography， I can appreciate the raw， interview-style on the one hand， although it does get a little dry over time。 It's certainly possible I got less motivated to read some of the last chapters because I'm not that into his 80s and 90s work。 Anyways， the _Afterword_ provided a very good defense for the unedited， raw style that shows the real Miles， truly leveraging the "auto" part in autobiography。Although it was a bit dry and lengthy， I really have gotten a lot of insight， context and fun from this book。 I'm happy I've read it。 。。。more
Chad Bracken
，
Frank， honest， and full of music history。
Remco
，
In spreektaal geschreven。 Alsof het een lange monoloog van hem is tijdens een nachtje doorhalen in de kroeg。Vooral veel mooie verhalen uit de jaren 40 en 50 in New York。 En ik maar denk dat jazzmuzikanten nette mensen zijn。Minpunt zijn de vele alinea's over de wisseling van muzikanten in z'n band。 Er komen er een paar honderd voorbij， waarvan je de meeste er zo weer vergeet。 In spreektaal geschreven。 Alsof het een lange monoloog van hem is tijdens een nachtje doorhalen in de kroeg。Vooral veel mooie verhalen uit de jaren 40 en 50 in New York。 En ik maar denk dat jazzmuzikanten nette mensen zijn。Minpunt zijn de vele alinea's over de wisseling van muzikanten in z'n band。 Er komen er een paar honderd voorbij， waarvan je de meeste er zo weer vergeet。 。。。more
Dan
，
I love Miles’ music and have wanted to read this for years。 I was not disappointed。 When it is at its most riveting is when he is discussing music in a deep way or really speaking honestly about himself， race in America and his friendships。 I found my mind wandering a bit when he’d go through lists of who played what on every recording （although I did appreciate it because it’s clear he wanted to do right by all the musicians）。 It is not easy to read about how he treated women。 I found those par I love Miles’ music and have wanted to read this for years。 I was not disappointed。 When it is at its most riveting is when he is discussing music in a deep way or really speaking honestly about himself， race in America and his friendships。 I found my mind wandering a bit when he’d go through lists of who played what on every recording （although I did appreciate it because it’s clear he wanted to do right by all the musicians）。 It is not easy to read about how he treated women。 I found those parts hard to get through。 The last few chapters I think were my favorites。 He started to open up in a personal way and I found myself feeling like I really knew the guy。 Right up there with my favorite music autobiography’s， of which Levon Helm’s is my all time favorite。 。。。more
Jamila Belk
，
Warning: Lots of jazz history and cussing ahead。 Lol。
Achilles III
，
Τρία και μισό αστεράκια， για την ακρίβεια （αν έχει κάποια σημασία）。 Ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο επειδή ήταν ενδιαφέρουσα η ζωή και ήταν σπουδαίο το έργο του ίδιου του Miles， αλλά και επειδή διαβάζοντάς το αποκτά κανείς μια ιδέα σχετικά με την εποχή， τον τρόπο ζωής και τις σχέσεις του μεγάλου τρομπετίστα με τους υπόλοιπους μουσικούς με τους οποίους συνεργάστηκε στη δημιουργία αριστουργηματικών δίσκων。 Ο λόγος είναι προφορικός （με τις απαραίτητες βρισιές） και ρέει φυσικά， δίνοντας ώρες ώρες την αίσθηση ότι Τρία και μισό αστεράκια， για την ακρίβεια （αν έχει κάποια σημασία）。 Ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο επειδή ήταν ενδιαφέρουσα η ζωή και ήταν σπουδαίο το έργο του ίδιου του Miles， αλλά και επειδή διαβάζοντάς το αποκτά κανείς μια ιδέα σχετικά με την εποχή， τον τρόπο ζωής και τις σχέσεις του μεγάλου τρομπετίστα με τους υπόλοιπους μουσικούς με τους οποίους συνεργάστηκε στη δημιουργία αριστουργηματικών δίσκων。 Ο λόγος είναι προφορικός （με τις απαραίτητες βρισιές） και ρέει φυσικά， δίνοντας ώρες ώρες την αίσθηση ότι τον έχεις απέναντί σου και να τον ακούς να μιλάει。 Η γλώσσα είναι τολμηρή και ο Davis δεν χαρίζει ούτε χαρίζεται。 Μοιάζει ώρες ώρες να έχει να πει έναν κακό λόγο για όλους， αλλά σαν να το καταλαβαίνει και ο ίδιος φροντίζει να υμνεί πιο κάτω τους ίδιους μουσικούς， λες και αντιλαμβάνεται ότι το παρατράβηξε， χωρίς όμως να θέλει να πάρει λέξη πίσω。 Οι περιγραφές του δεν θα έλεγα ότι είναι και τόσο γλαφυρές， ούτε βοηθούν εύκολα κάποιον που δεν γνωρίζει το έργο του να καταλάβει για ποιόν ακριβώς λόγο είναι τόσο σημαντικός αυτός ο γεμάτος αλαζονεία και θράσος τύπος。 Ωστόσο， αν συνοδεύεις το κάθε κεφάλαιο από την ακρόαση των δίσκων του της ίδιας περιόδου， μελετώντας τους προσεκτικά και συμπληρώνοντάς τις πληροφορίες που παρέχονται από το βιβλίο με τις σημειώσεις που συνοδεύουν τον κάθε δίσκο （ή με άρθρα και κριτικές για αυτούς） το πράγμα αλλάζει και σου προσφέρονται μεγαλύτερες απολαύσεις！ 。。。more
Jenae
，
Good read by and about a talented musician who always speaks his mind。。。I enjoyed the conversational nature of this book， like listening to jazz storytime with lots of motherfuckers thrown into the mix。 Davis expresses himself in regards to racism in the music industry and explains why he performs the way he does。 He also admits to some pretty bad behavior including abusing partners and neglecting children， expressing some regret but without going too deep into these issues。 Sometimes it got a b Good read by and about a talented musician who always speaks his mind。。。I enjoyed the conversational nature of this book， like listening to jazz storytime with lots of motherfuckers thrown into the mix。 Davis expresses himself in regards to racism in the music industry and explains why he performs the way he does。 He also admits to some pretty bad behavior including abusing partners and neglecting children， expressing some regret but without going too deep into these issues。 Sometimes it got a bit rambly and disorganized， like towards the end of the book where there was a section dedicated to which types of women Davis finds sexy， but overall a worthwhile read for fans of jazz， Miles Davis or music memoirs and biographies。 。。。more
Raymond Rusinak
，
Written in an almost conversational way makes this an easy read but it also lends itself to repetition。 A little bit too much of "I played with so and so on this， I played with so and so on that。" Or， "this guy could play like a mother fucker"。。。MFer is easily his favorite means of describing someone。 But there was some pretty cool insights into the early & glory days from '47 through '60。 Miles is probably one of the most beloved artists in all of jazz， but when push comes to shove， NO ONE love Written in an almost conversational way makes this an easy read but it also lends itself to repetition。 A little bit too much of "I played with so and so on this， I played with so and so on that。" Or， "this guy could play like a mother fucker"。。。MFer is easily his favorite means of describing someone。 But there was some pretty cool insights into the early & glory days from '47 through '60。 Miles is probably one of the most beloved artists in all of jazz， but when push comes to shove， NO ONE loves Miles as much as Miles loves Miles。 。。。more
Pepo Márquez
，
Hace más de una década que leí este libro y todavía recuerdo alguna de las anécdotas más bestias que encierra。 No tenía ninguna fe de que Miles me cayera bien， pero no imaginaba el nivel de hijoputez que desplegó en vida。
Brooklyn Sr
，
Great musician that ever lived！！ Great book！ A must own
James Lockhart
，
Miles was such a force。 If you’re a jazz head or even just like halfway a jazz head like I am， it’s a treat to listen through his catalogue while you course through this thing。 Not all of it ofc， I mean the discography at the end of this book is six pages long。 Good lord。 But - reading him explain the making of his music with such a clear vision and then hearing the highlights of his work in all of its staggering complexity and singularity。。。cmon， it’s amazing。 His personal life is tough to sepa Miles was such a force。 If you’re a jazz head or even just like halfway a jazz head like I am， it’s a treat to listen through his catalogue while you course through this thing。 Not all of it ofc， I mean the discography at the end of this book is six pages long。 Good lord。 But - reading him explain the making of his music with such a clear vision and then hearing the highlights of his work in all of its staggering complexity and singularity。。。cmon， it’s amazing。 His personal life is tough to separate from his art。 It’s the kind of art/artist thing that we increasingly are reckoning with when we look back at 20th century half man-half god types and try to weigh everything they gave us against all the pain and suffering they inflicted on other people。 It becomes gradually more uncomfortable to read his casual descriptions of violence and exploitation of women as the book rolls along， I don’t recommend this autobio to anyone who has direct experience with that sorta thing or who may be understandably sensitive to it。 Also the way he looks back on his friends who suffered from addiction and died untimely deaths， that bothered me a bit。 I don’t sit here having finished the book feeling like Miles Davis the human being， at least at the time of this book’s publishing， ever really learned how to stop hurting people。 And that’s tough。Lots of lists of dudes and what instruments they played！ 。。。more
Iris
，
There is joy in the inimitable voice of Miles。 If you don't know it， you can listen to him speak on a few YouTube clips or in the outtakes from his albums。 He destroyed his voice while debating his contract right after larynx surgery。 The biographer Quincy Troupe spent hundreds of hours talking with him， interviewed dozens of figures who were close to him， then pulled it all together in a first-person telling as if Miles took to the keyboard himself。 It's vibrant and profane， and every page is f There is joy in the inimitable voice of Miles。 If you don't know it， you can listen to him speak on a few YouTube clips or in the outtakes from his albums。 He destroyed his voice while debating his contract right after larynx surgery。 The biographer Quincy Troupe spent hundreds of hours talking with him， interviewed dozens of figures who were close to him， then pulled it all together in a first-person telling as if Miles took to the keyboard himself。 It's vibrant and profane， and every page is filled with pain， perhaps because that was Miles's reality in 1990 when the book was made， just before his death。 Did he ever take pleasure in his genius？ According to this: rarely。 。。。more
Karol Rudziński
，
Miles Davis zmienił kilkukrotnie jazz。 Był także najdelikatniej rzecz ujmując dupkiem。 I w tej autobiografii tego nie ukrywa。 Historia Milesa Davisa zaczyna się w latach dwudziestego poprzedniego wieku a kończy pod koniec lat osiemdziesiątych wraz z jego śmiercią。 Sprawia to， że po przeczytaniu tej książki miałem wrażenie odbycia długiej podróży。 Miles opowiada o rasizmie， o nieuczciwych ludziach z wytwórni płytowych， beefach z innymi muzykami， uzależnieniu od różnych używek。 Dużo dostaje się bi Miles Davis zmienił kilkukrotnie jazz。 Był także najdelikatniej rzecz ujmując dupkiem。 I w tej autobiografii tego nie ukrywa。 Historia Milesa Davisa zaczyna się w latach dwudziestego poprzedniego wieku a kończy pod koniec lat osiemdziesiątych wraz z jego śmiercią。 Sprawia to， że po przeczytaniu tej książki miałem wrażenie odbycia długiej podróży。 Miles opowiada o rasizmie， o nieuczciwych ludziach z wytwórni płytowych， beefach z innymi muzykami， uzależnieniu od różnych używek。 Dużo dostaje się białym amerykanom którzy kradli pomysły czarnych muzyków。 Miles nie zostawia też suchej nitki na krytykach muzycznym którzy promowali bardziej „spokojną” wersję czarnej muzyki。 Niekiedy książka była ciężka do przetrawienia z powodu ogromnej ilości nazwisk i klubów które były w niej podawane。 Jednak nie zmienia tego， że jest to bardzo ciekawa autobiografia która daje nam wstęp do prywatnego świata jednego z najwybitniejszych muzyków w historii。 。。。more
Joe Kraus
，
This often-audacious autobiography follows my sense of the trajectory of Miles Davis’s career: it begins， as Miles would put it， like a motherf’er。 It ends with a gifted artist pushing himself until， whatever the demonstration of skill， he enters areas of questionable taste。I wasn’t sure I was up for this memoir until I dipped a toe into it， and then the first sentence absolutely hooked me。 “The greatest feeling I’ve had in my life with my clothes on was when I first met Dizz and Bird together b This often-audacious autobiography follows my sense of the trajectory of Miles Davis’s career: it begins， as Miles would put it， like a motherf’er。 It ends with a gifted artist pushing himself until， whatever the demonstration of skill， he enters areas of questionable taste。I wasn’t sure I was up for this memoir until I dipped a toe into it， and then the first sentence absolutely hooked me。 “The greatest feeling I’ve had in my life with my clothes on was when I first met Dizz and Bird together back in St。 Louis back in 1944。”I’d call myself an intermediate jazz aficionado。 I don’t play， and I have studied the form mostly， but not entirely， on my own。 I’m not someone who can talk about technique， and I get as confused as many when it comes to figuring out just what the Ornette Coleman free-jazz school was up to。 But I have been listening carefully to jazz – especially to the New York figures who emerged in the late 1940s through the late 1950s – for more than three decades。 Miles may not be my personal favorite trumpeter – I prefer the more melodic school of Clifford Brown， Lee Morgan， and Zoot Sims – but I admire the hell out of him。 And， let’s be serious， you can’t think seriously about jazz without considering Miles’s contributions。The early Miles is a prodigy deserving of as much attention as is the beginning of this book。 You don’t have to be a jazz nerd to speak reverentially of the origin story of the form。 Charlie “Bird” Parker and Dizzy Gillespie， forced by the shortages of World War II to work outside the big-band context in which they’d expected to come up， workshopped a brand new form。 Their be-bop jazz remains a cornerstone of what many – including Miles and me – consider America’s greatest original art。But Dizzy and Bird split。 Miles reports here that it was because of Bird’s irresponsibility。 Bird needed a trumpeter so， even as Miles liked and worked in part to emulate Dizzy， he signed on to what became the foundational group of modern jazz。The best parts of this book make fresh again the burst of creativity that Miles was a part of and that he helped instigate。 Some people dream of having been able to sit at the Algonquin Round Table。 Others imagine having hung with Hemingway’s Lost Generation in Paris。 I think I’d have wanted to be at the Village Gate or， a bit later， Birdland as Miles and his collaborators developed an entirely new language for music。I’ve listened to some of Miles’s early albums， Birth of the Cool and Kind of Blue， dozens of times， and I have dived into many of his recordings as a sideman。 It’s amazing to hear him exploring the spaces between the notes that Parker， Gillespie， and Coltrane let fly。 Those greats were， with much more skill and artistry， doing something of what the first punk musicians were doing with rock。 They were taking the form they’d inherited and pushing it to extremes。In that metaphor， Miles is more like the post-punk lo-fi work of Yo La Tengo or Silver Jews。 （Again， much as I admire that work， it’s simply not comparable in artistry or technique to what Miles as doing。） He found a way to channel the same burst of creative energy by going slowly， by emphasizing tone and nuance。 If， as Wallace Stevens suggests， there’s a choice between inflection and innuendo – between the saying of a thing and letting the echo of that thing speak – then Miles was all innuendo。 Like Hemingway， he left unsaid much of what his best work implied。As an extension of that best part， Miles helps me through his writing here to understand the brilliance of his second great quintet。 I’ve long known， and occasionally checked out， his work with Wayne Shorter， Ron Carter， and Herbie Hancock， but I didn’t start to “get it” until I heard him talking here about some of the changes he was pushing toward。 One of the things I ask from music writing is the chance to hear something new， to be given a story or insight that lets me come to the music with a fresh ear。The biggest gift of this book for me is in E。S。P。， and I expect， some of the other work of that second quintet。 I simply hear it better as I know to listen for some of Carter’s bass work， Hancock’s fills， or Tony Williams – whom I hadn’t really heard of until Miles described him as maybe the finest drummer he ever worked with – holding it all together。So， at its best， this book is brilliant， and I am certainly glad I read it。 There’s even a quick reflection at the start of one of the first chapters， where Miles reflects on how he responded as a child to seeing the stove turn on。 He instinctively pulled back。 He wasn’t drawn to the ‘hot，’; even as a kid， he felt pulled toward the cool。Still， I tried for a ninth or tenth time to listen to what I think of as late Miles， in particular to the Bitches Brew proto-jazz-fusion work。 It still doesn’t work for me。 The electric instruments sound tinny。 And， despite Miles’s oft-delivered criticism of Ornette Coleman， it sounds a lot like that to me。 It isn’t quite noise; I’ve worked through it enough to get a sense of some of the rhythmic lines and snatches of melody （or just motifs of note sequences）， but I still don’t enjoy it。I get that you have to work to understand the most innovative jazz。 That’s part of what I sign up for。 But， at the same time， there’s no guarantee it’s all going to be good。 Just like anyone else， Miles Davis could – and I think did – wander into a space of questionable artistic taste。I admire this book for its general fearlessness and candor， but there’s no way to read it without being horrified at his callousness toward others， especially women。 It’s bad enough when he says two or three times that his sons are a disappointment to him。 It’s maybe even worse when he casually declares that Frances， his second wife of three， was his “best wife。” You probably shouldn’t expect much more from man who called one of his signature albums “Bitches，” but it’s tough to read。 He often tells us how “nice” one woman or another was， with “nice” standing in for anything like a real consideration on his part。 Women are there; they’re beautiful and they’re willing to have sex with him。 Otherwise， they have about a six-year shelf-life for him， and then they have to go。I was a big Cicely Tyson fan from my childhood。 Her role in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman meant a lot to me and my family。 （My father was a fairly close friend of that novel’s author， Ernie Gaines， and I had breakfast at his house one long ago morning。） We were all on her side， and I knew even then that she’d married Miles。 In the book， Miles credits Tyson with saving his life in one of the three or four – or eight or nine – times when substance abuse nearly killed him。 He marries her， he says， because of their spiritual connection even though – and think how tasteless it is to say such a thing – he no longer found her sexually attractive。 That final part of this book is at times awful， descending into those sorts of easy attacks and name-dropping。 He won this award， met this celebrity。 It gets tiresome。And yet， there’s a final virtue to this that I can’t ignore either。 Miles is fiercely proud as a Black man， and it’s something to hear him talk of the indignities he endured。 One that comes powerfully to me is from the time he stood in front of some venue – maybe the Blackhawk Lounge – catching a smoke between sets。 A policeman drove up and， seeing only a Black man loitering with self-confidence， ordered him to move it along。 Miles flicked a thumb behind him and said， ‘Man， that’s my name up there on the marquee。 I’m playing here tonight。’ No matter， the policeman still pulled him in， even clubbing him for supposedly resisting arrest。I’ve run on too long， but this book is maddening in the way of Miles’s own career。 It’s so often brilliant that there are parts I’d consider teaching in my classes。 But that brilliance sits side by side with some clearly contemptible things， too。 。。。more
Tim Jin
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I have to give a full disclosure before I write my review for this audiobook。 I’m not a fan of jazz music and I knew very little about Miles Davis。 I bought his autobiography because Audible had it on sale。His autobiography is one of the best that I’ve listened to。 It comes second to “Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F。 Kennedy” because in that audiobook， they restored most of her conversations on tape from the actual recordings。 As for Miles Davis autobiography， I ju I have to give a full disclosure before I write my review for this audiobook。 I’m not a fan of jazz music and I knew very little about Miles Davis。 I bought his autobiography because Audible had it on sale。His autobiography is one of the best that I’ve listened to。 It comes second to “Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F。 Kennedy” because in that audiobook， they restored most of her conversations on tape from the actual recordings。 As for Miles Davis autobiography， I just wished that they would have captured his voice when telling his life story。 Instead of a book， it’s more like a conversation with the artist。 Listening to Dion Graham narrating Mr。 Davis’ life was addicting。 I really couldn’t stop listening。 It was an eye opener at reading “Miles。” He really didn’t hold anything back when writing about his life。 。。。more
Jonathan Kool-Gajda
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I hate writing reviews so I’ll keep it short。 Read it。 Pop each record on as he talks about them and take your time with it all。 It’ll take you on a tour through more than just music history but a cultural history that needs to be celebrated。
Marc Daley
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This was a mother****** clarification of a mother****** musical visionary。 He clears up confustion about this views toward other races and his attitudes are understandable considering his life experience。 I wished he had delved more into the process of making Kind Of Blue and Bitches Brew。 He was a very complicated person and a great example of a hero who you don't necessarily want to meet。 This was a mother****** clarification of a mother****** musical visionary。 He clears up confustion about this views toward other races and his attitudes are understandable considering his life experience。 I wished he had delved more into the process of making Kind Of Blue and Bitches Brew。 He was a very complicated person and a great example of a hero who you don't necessarily want to meet。 。。。more
Dan Iacono
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a pretty incredible life overview of one of the most important musicians of the 20th century
Alexi Grivas
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This is so good that I read the book that the ghostwriter Quincy Troupe wrote about writing this book with Miles immediately afterwards。 Told in the first person， you can almost hear Miles' whispering voice narrating as you read。 Its fairly unvarnished， too: Miles is surprisingly upfront about， well， not being a very nice person。 As compelling as music autobiographies get， and as yearning， keening， and at times as unforgiving as Miles' music itself。 This is so good that I read the book that the ghostwriter Quincy Troupe wrote about writing this book with Miles immediately afterwards。 Told in the first person， you can almost hear Miles' whispering voice narrating as you read。 Its fairly unvarnished， too: Miles is surprisingly upfront about， well， not being a very nice person。 As compelling as music autobiographies get， and as yearning， keening， and at times as unforgiving as Miles' music itself。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Miles: The Autobiography
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Miles: The Autobiography&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft