Miles Davis: The Definitive Biography (Paperback)

by Ian Carr (Author) "Miles Davis was born in Alton, Illinois, on 26 May 1926, and a year later his family moved south to East St Louis, a small..." (more)
Key Phrases: harmon mute, jazz jamboree, orchestral album, Miles Davis, New York, Gil Evans (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Carr has not merely updated but substantially overhauled and enhanced his earlier life story of musician Miles Davis (Miles Davis: A Biography, LJ 9/1/82), already a fine biography. This new work charts Davis's musical career up to his death in 1991 and includes new interviews with jazz greats such as Max Roach and Bill Evans. Using a mixture of lay and technical terms, this often-riveting examination provides a balanced assessment of the importance of Davis to the world of music, particularly jazz. Carr's discussion of Davis's numerous recordings inexplicably treats those of 1974-75 offhandedly, particularly in comparison to all the space devoted to Davis's final ten years of recordings; there is a shade too much praise for these later documents. Carr redeems himself by concluding the book with his thoughtful obituary, originally published at the time of Davis's passing. Recommended for public, academic, and music libraries.AWilliam Kenz, Moorhead State Univ. Lib., MN
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews
In the 17 years since Carr's biography of the mercurial trumpet genius was published, Miles has died and lots of new material has surfaced (including Davis's hilariously profane autobiography). So Carr has produced a new life, nearly twice the length of the original. Throughout his career, Davis seemed an enigmatic genius, brusque to the point of rudeness, yet capable of a warm lyricism in his art. Although he was the product of an affluent, upper-middle-class family, he cultivated the demeanor of a surly street hustler. Carr sums up the legendary Davis temperament nicely: ``The inscrutability, the unpredictability, the refusal to be pinned down, the sudden juxtapositions of gentleness and violence.'' The same qualities could be found in his art, as he moved restlessly from the pioneering days of bebop and a youthful apprenticeship with the music's founder, Charlie Parker, through his own rapid-fire series of innovationsthe brilliant ``cool'' and orchestral recordings with arranger Gil Evans, the development of modal-based post-bop with his excellent small groups of the '50s and '60s, his developing interest and work with electric bands, right up to his fascinating, if uneven, post-modernist works of the '80s. Carr recounts these developments intelligently. A musician himself, he is particularly good on the micro-level analysis of recordings and concerts, but his macro-analysis is plagued at times by odd generalizations about ``Western'' and ``non-Western'' elements ostensibly struggling for the upper hand in Davis's music. Though some fans may think he overrates the late recordings with their funk/pop backings, he offers a useful corrective to other writers' casual dismissal of those experiments. Finally, this leviathan would have benefited from some judicious cutting; Carr lets interviews run on too long, and there is a certain repetitiveness that strains the reader's patience for the new material. Despite minor flaws, a generally thoughtful and perceptive reading of the turbulent life and singular work of one of the giants of American music. (40 b&w photos) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 688 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (December 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560259671
• ISBN-13: 978-1560259671
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #270,214 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Review for the Serious Miles Fan, April 6, 2000

By	James N. West (Franklin, Tennessee, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Miles Davis: The Definitive Biography (Paperback)

First, you need to know that this is an update of Carr's 1982 biography of Miles Davis. To begin with, there is some definite updating of the early chapters. In particular, recorded material that wasn't available in 1982 is discussed, such as the Plugged Nickel performances, and recent Columbia/Legacy releases such as Carnegie Hall 1961 are specifically mentioned. There are also surprising little nuggets of new information sprinkled throughout the first half. However, these chapters would have benefited from more careful or consistent editing. Statements of fact in 1982 that were later made inaccurate have not been revised. For example, Carr remarks that Miles' days as a sideman were over after LEGRAND JAZZ, a statement belied by the his later sessions with Toto, Chaka Khan, Cameo, Scritti Politti, Shirley Horn, Paolo Rustichelli, et al. Also, Carr marks FILLES DE KILIMANJARO as the last album with Gil Evans, although I suppose STAR PEOPLE is arguable as a matter of degree.

Another aspect that consistent editing would have fixed is that statements are presented as more or less current opinions, when the speakers have passed away since the first edition. Even when referring to historical events, Red Rodney, Philly Joe Jones, and others are quoted as contemporary figures. True in 1982, but not today. This is a little disconcerting.

In these respects, reading this edition is almost like reading two books, which I suppose it is in a way. But the transition from the old material to the new is seamless, and it always seemed to me that the ending of the first edition was rather rushed, anyway.

Initially it seemed to me that the coverage devoted to the post-retirement years (not quite half the book) was more than a little out of balance. However, the space allotted to these years is largely due to the amount of interview material from this period. Many of the interviews were conducted by Carr himself, and the interviewees include Miles (not extensive), many of his sidemen, and other acquaintances. My favorite piece of this new material is a story related by Lydia DeJohnette about Miles coming upon her and Jack arguing in a parking lot in 1981.

Upon first reading the new material, I found Carr to be unfailingly complimentary of Miles' post-retirement playing. After reflection, though, while it's still my impression that he is a big fan of 1980's Miles, I have decided that Carr is in fact quite objective. I did find his critiques of actual performances to be more balanced than his generalizations. He recognizes, for example, the sheer tedium (my words, not Carr's) of some of the live dates, as he does with a 20 July 1985 Royal Festival Hall performance. That said, however, when he quotes from his notes and reviews made onsite at live performances, they are often more favorable than his assessment of recorded material. It's interesting to contrast his review of the 1965 Plugged Nickel performances with almost any review of the 1980's live dates. I never saw Miles live, but I've seen enough artists to appreciate the added dimension that being in the same space as the performance brings, so I'm not complaining. It's just an observation.

The book presents the most in-depth assessment of Miles since his death. A studied treatment of Miles' later years has been long overdue. It is well researched and enjoyable to read. The focus is very much on the making of Miles' art, visual as well as musical. It is not at all a "celebrity biography." As an indication of where the focus lies, Carr deals with the rumors of AIDS and bisexuality in only a paragraph each. There is valuable new insight about Miles' health and his overall outlook in the months prior to his death. It seems Miles was in a very positive frame of mind, was considering retiring from the road, and had plans for painting and recording. After paying the band and expenses from the Montreux/Quincy gig, he paid cash for a new Ferrari. Carr does a good job of contrasting this image with the more common one of Miles as the shaman who has foreseen his own demise and is bidding farewell (which Jack Chambers depicts in the new introduction to MILESTONES).

As with Miles Davis' music, biographies of the man are likely to elicit widely varying reactions. However, one needn't agree with all of Carr's critical analyses in order to appreciate the professionalism and effort that went into the reviews. And as with his music, so it is with well informed and well presented writings about him-more Miles is always better than less Miles. Ian Carr's new volume is a welcome addition.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Balanced, sympathetic, but incomplete, April 7, 2000

By	ShriDurga (Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Miles Davis: The Definitive Biography (Paperback)

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.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing but worth reading for fans, April 6, 2001

By	jon "jon" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Miles Davis: The Definitive Biography (Paperback)

As I sure has already been pointed out, this is not, as Carr claims, a definitive biography of Miles Davis. Rather, it is simply a pretty good analysis of his musical career. You do not come away from the book feeling like you really know who Miles Davis was. While Carr does talk some about Miles' personal life, he does not dig too far beneath the surface, and does not provide the intimacy or the detail necessary for the reader to gain a real understanding of Miles the person. One gets the sense that Carr would have viewed a more extensive discussion of Miles' personal life as somehow sensationalistic. This is unfortunate, as it is difficult to fully understand the music without understanding the man.

As far as the musical analysis of Miles' work goes, it is quite extensive and generally pretty decent. However, Carr does tend to be VERY opinionated about just about every major issue in jazz and this can be frustrating as he has a tendency to dismiss opinions contrary to his own as stupid or ignorant without debating the merits. As a result, Carr often comes off as arrogant and condecending. Also, as I believe has already been pointed out, he goes to great pains to set up what I believe to be a false dichotomy between "Western" and "Non-Western" influences in jazz. He sees Western influences as inferior and scorns jazz musicians who incorporate too much Western influence into jazz (i.e. the cool jazz movement). He even implies that Wynton Marsalis is somehow less of a jazz musician because his classical trumpet playing.

Overall, it is a useful guide to Miles' musical career, but don't expect anything close to a "definitive biography".