If you can find Jack Chambers's Milestones, he writes about every session with music released up to the time of publication (mid 80's). He doesn't always seem to understand the music very well, but does a good job of reporting information available in Down Beat and other publications where Miles and his musicians gave interviews. Ian Carr's book is much more musically insightful (he was a great trumpet player) although he skips over a few albums and seems more interested in some eras than others. Paul Tingen's Miles Beyond is good for the 70's. If you are interested in Miles in the 80's and early 90's, George Cole's The Last Miles is a thorough report on that time.
For a Miles bio I would recommend So What by John Szwed. Maybe not as much musical insight as the Ian Carr book, but for a picture of the man (not always easy to look at) it is better. In the discussion of On The Corner, there's mention of Ornette Column's influence. When did Miles come to appreciate Ornette? I know he was pretty dismissive of him once in a Downbeat Blindfold test.
I picked up Philip Freeman's Miles book Running The Voodoo Down cheaply. I'm glad it was cheap, cause it's a piece of crap. Full of factual errors and odd subjective statements. You'll learn that the Gil Evans albums and Bitches Brew are not much good. It's not a good feeling when you as a reader know more about the subject than the author. Avoid at all costs.
So What is certainly the best book about Miles as an individual, very well written and informative and Szwed obviously did a lot of research. Ornette - beyond that statement in the "autobiography" I don't think Miles mentioned Ornette except in dismissive terms.
I had to order this one especially-I was convinced I had all the tracks on it between the boxsets (The Coltrane and Seven Steps ones). It's nice to get some new music. I agree with Crispi that the Coltrane tracks are very good. I like 'Someday...' because it reminds me of the endless times I saw SWATSD with my boy when he was obsessed with it a few years ago. 'Teo' is really good-The booklet in the boxset compares it with 'Flamenco Sketches' in terms of its form and modal harmony, but where the tempo is very different it has a completely different feel and vibe. I like the Mobley tracks too, but I'm just finding my feet with those-perhaps I'll post again when I've absorbed them properly. I'm looking forward to the live stuff coming next! Cheers!
Guess I have to watch that eventually. I don't think the guy looks like Miles at all, and it's trashy to focus on the few years the man wasn't productive. How about a biopic covering his many triumphs? Or the incident when he was beaten severely by a white cop? It's not true what Miles says in his book; he did leave his house, did pick up his trumpet and even recorded in 1976-80; though to a much lesser extent due to illness and drug use.
If Miles was OK to put it in his autobiography, I guess you can give a lease to Cheadle on this. He is a very good actor, and this is more important than bone structure I think. That said, many films could be made from this life, that's for sure. Is is obviously an un-glamorous look at a great creator.
I haven't seen the movie, and doubt I ever will. However, in a way I'm glad they made a fantasy out of it rather than a standard biopic with some corny attempt to restage the Kind Of Blue session.
I wasn't aware it's a fantasy-type of film. You're right that it would be hard to recreate his big moments...like the movie about Chess, it might have been corny. On the other hand, Bird was pretty good.
"Miles Ahead" is a Miles looking back at some of his highs and lows of the 50's and 60's through the prism of his retirement years. Yeah, the whole thing's a fantasy and some liberties were taken, but overall I enjoyed it very much.
The Szwed book is my favorite book on Miles. His writing is wonderful, and he gets into areas and details I hadn't seen elsewhere. As much or more time spent on In A Silent Way, as on Kind of Blue (which has been done to death). No single Miles book is a triumph, but Szwed's is really one of the very best, IMHO. Been quite a number of years since I cracked open my copy, but I should revisit it soon.
He may have picked up his trumpet (literally), and I know he did record a little bit, but I'm not aware he played anything other than on organ during those years (and just a tiny number of sessions, iirc). This is the best known of that material (that's circulated), and only organ... Miles Davis & Larry Coryell- Miss Last Summer (officially unissued) [March 2, 1978 NYC] Miles Davis and Larry Coryell: Miles Davis (org); Larry Coryell (g); Masabumi Kikuchi (keyb); George Pavlis (keyb); T.M. Stevens (el-b); Al Foster (d) "Miss Last Summer" (M. Davis)
^ Yeah, I know those tapes well, only organ. However, George Cole's The Last Miles book has more info, including a supposedly recorded session with Miles on trumpet. Anyway, it doesn't matter, I just wanted to point out that Miles' own (or Quincey Troupe's) depiction of this period, like much else in the book, is only partially correct. Maybe it was a better story to say he didn't leave the house for years.
(I know you know this, Cory, but for those who don't) It's also got a present line of action that is completely fictional. It's not a biopic in any way you might expect, and those thinking it is will be surely disappointed. It's more like a fictional story loosely inspired by Miles' life and, more importantly, by his attitude. It's enjoyable if you're willing to accept it on its own terms.
It was interesting to read in Herbie Hancock's book that he tried to get Miles to play in the reunion of the 60's quintet for the 1976 Newport Jazz Festival (that ended up being VSOP with Freddie Hubbard) but Miles decided he wasn't up to it.
That's the catchily titled 'Untitled Original 760330a (takes 3 & 5)' (in Peter Losin's naming system anyway!)
Me three. Take it as a complete fiction and it's a fairly enjoyable caper movie, with a few nice touches thrown in. It's silly and over the top, but taken as that, it's fun.
This is a great thread! I'm still back on page 61, but have been reading a bit every day for the past couple months. What I'd like to say is: 1) I thoroughly enjoyed Miles' autobiography. At times it's rough and ugly, but it also create moments of supreme pleasure... just like his music. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to read music bios. 2) I find it interesting how different people are interested in different eras of Miles' output. Some are super-passionate about his Coltrane stuff. others get excited by his second quintet, and others are enthralled by his funky fusion years. I myself don't have a favourite era, but instead appreciate the fact that his music suits so many different moods I might be in. If I want something swinging and peppy, I put on the early stuff. If I want something soothing I put on KoB or some of his other calmer, sparser releases. If I want something aggressive and rhythmic I put on the fusion stuff. And if I want something "challenging" I put on his second quintet. It's great to be able put on a Miles Davis album in so many different occasions. 3) Collecting his albums has been very time-consuming and expensive. I feel like I will spend decades (or probably the rest of my life) trying to "fully get" all of his output. That's the beauty of jazz. It is not easily memorisable. Unlike Michael Jackson, U2, and even the Beatles and Bob Marley, whose music I love but tend not to play often because my ears have already memorised them. In a sense, to mangle an old cliche, buying a pop record is like buying a fish, and buying a jazz record is like buying a fishing pole. It's a purchase that keeps on giving. Anyway, I've gotta go watch Bear Grylls with my kids. I'll post more later, when I get caught up!
Yay! I finally got caught up! This has been a very entertaining daily read! I almost want to go back and read it all again! Almost! So now I'm wondering: what will I read every day as a "backburner"? I suppose there's that Rolling Stones thread... Anyway, do you think fonz will catch up by the time we get to Doo Bop?
