so what: the life of miles davis by john szwed - · pdf fileestablished a new direction in his...
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So What: The Life of Miles Davis by John Szwed
Musically, A Very Enlightening Biography
Musical genius, visionary artist, enigma -- more than ten years after his
death, Miles Davis still looms large as a cultural icon. In this, the first new
biography since Davis death, John Szwed draws on various archives and
never-before-published interviews with those who knew him to produce the
richest and most revealing portrait of Miles Davis to date. The shy son of a
dentist from Illinois, Miles Dewey Davis III would go through several
transformations before becoming the image of cool. Change, says Szwed,
was the driving force in both Davis life and music -- as quickly as he established a new direction in his music and a new identity, he would
radically reinvent both. He seemed to thrive on close musical relationships
-- playing with jazz greats from Charlie Parker to John Coltrane and
working with Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, and composer
Gil Evans, among others -- and yet the enduring image of Davis is of a
lone figure, famously turning his back on the audience. He was at the peak
of his career, having achieved star status, when he withdrew from the
spotlight, spending years as a recluse. These seeming contradictions
fueled the myths surrounding the man, but Szweds insights into Davis
personality and artistic creativity shed new light on his life, from his
turbulent relationships to his drug use and mysterious last days. Elegantly
written and carefully researched, So What is the authoritative life of an
artist who was always ahead of his time.
My Personal Review:
I read Miles' autobiography in all of it's shocking and hysterical glory
regarding his personal life. Szwed's book covers some of that same
ground but from the perspective of others, particular some of those whom
Miles treated so unfairly (Gil Evans had to plead on his children's behalf in
order to get paid). From a personal standpoint the reader will find
himself/herself muttering "what a p****" many times while reading this
book.
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Musically, this book is so much more informative than the autobiography
and answers most of the questions regarding the evolution of Miles' music.
It was great reading about how "In A Silent Way" was composed via edits
and it sent me running for my copy of Jimi Hendrix's "Electric Ladyland" to
search for the original studio dates to see who got there first. Miles and
Jimi were in frequent contact so it's no surprise that the concept of the
studio as an instrument were used to create these two masterworks that
appeared at roughly the same time. An early review bemoans the fact that over 20 pages were dedicated to "In A Silent Way" while "Kind of Blue"
only received 8 pages. But this is actually very necessary as what was
going on with the process for "In A Silent Way" was so revolutionary in
terms of the music and the whole paradigm of how "records" and musical
art are/can be made.
The pages from 280 - 310 that cover "In A Silent Way" through "On the
Corner" were a real page-turner for me. So much was revealed about
what was going on. I found myself reaching for releases like "Get Up With
It" to revisit "Rated-X" and "Honky Tonk" and I was glad I purchased "The
Complete Jack Johnson Sessions" and "The Cellar Door Sessions".
The only criticisms I have are:
1. There are some passages regarding recording sessions where the
chronology wanders a bit, i.e., we read about Filles De Kilamanjaro, move
on and then a little later Szwed revisits that session out of order so one
has to pay close attention or will become confused.
2. He gets some of the names of the rock contemporaries wrong, e.g.,
Johnny Winters instead of Johnny Winter.
3. He's a little off on his release facts when it comes to the 70's band with
Liebman and Fortune. He asserts Agharta was not released in this country
until 1990 and that is just wrong. I purchased it as a domestic Columbia
release in 1976 or 1977.
4. The epilogue was completely unnecessary. This was an effort to
rationalize and explain the shabby way that Miles treated others. There is really no excuse for treating people the way Miles treated people. It is a
choice, not because he had a stern, standoffish mother or anything like
that. I can love the music of Miles Davis and dislike the man's behavior and
actions as a human being living in this world.
On the positive side, there is just so much to learn about Miles' musical
process and the evolution of that process in this book. This is highly
recommended reading, especially for musicians who are interested in
creative music.
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http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684859831?ie=UTF8&tag=jrtvre-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0684859831http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684859831?ie=UTF8&tag=jrtvre-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0684859831