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So What: The Life of Miles Davis
 
 
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So What: The Life of Miles Davis [Hardcover]

John Szwed (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

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From Publishers Weekly

Jazz genius Davis once said, "Don't you try to make me into a nice guy." Yale professor Szwed neither sentimentalizes nor attacks his subject in this impressive biography, concentrating instead on the fascinating contradictions that led to Davis's artistic greatness. The son of a successful dentist in Illinois, Davis (1926-1991) showed talent for the trumpet early and followed his vision despite disapproval from his mother. He attended Juilliard, married a girl from the wrong side of the tracks and joined Charlie Parker's group, struggling to find his style and overcome feelings of inadequacy against Parker's exhilarating brilliance. While pointing out Davis's love for altering chord progressions and his skill at sketching arrangements in literally seconds, Szwed tracks a life that eventually spiraled out of control. Unsparing accounts of the musician's cocaine and alcohol addiction transcend Davis's life and become a larger portrait of the traps that destroyed so many jazzmen. Davis's love affairs with Juliette Greco and Cicely Tyson grippingly illuminate the narcissism, sexual hunger and violence that made lasting relationships impossible. Szwed offers crisply detailed backstories to such masterpieces as Sketches of Spain, Round About Midnight and Miles Ahead. His prose has a musical pulse, and he highlights the most significant element of Davis's soul: "he told every woman he became involved with that music always came first, before family, children, lovers, friends." Davis's music has been called a "divine disease," and this in-depth study clarifies the nature of that compulsive, satisfying malady in a way that will enlighten listeners and musicians.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Szwed opens his work on this music legend with a warning to readers not to expect him to tell the man's full story. Indeed, this is not an introduction to Davis, and the book requires a fair degree of understanding of either jazz or the fundamentals of music. It's easy to come away with the impression that the cruelty with which Davis could treat himself and others was merely the price of genius, an argument that isn't addressed directly. For all this, though, the volume does deliver on what it sets out to do, which is to examine why Davis has been such a powerful and ubiquitous figure in the world of music. Szwed shows how his subject's art developed, examining both his evolving styles and the smaller, specific changes in the writing and playing of particular pieces by Davis and his bands. The author also illuminates the ways in which popular music developed during the second half of the 20th century. Those interested in the topic or in the process of musical creation in general will find this title well worth reading.
Ted Westervelt, Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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HE WAS BORN ON MAY 26, 1926, in Alton, Illinois, on the Mississippi River. Read the first page
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9 Reviews
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4.2 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4.0 out of 5 stars Accessible introduction to Miles Davis, July 5 2003
By 
souldrummer (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: So What: The Life of Miles Davis (Hardcover)
I found this to be a good book, although I'm not sure I would place it ahead of the other two Miles biographies out there. Szwed writes engaging prose and keeps things moving along throughout while writing in a good voice for this type of thing. Chambers book seems to be better researched,though, and it seems that Szwed relies heavily on secondary sources and the Troupe interviews with Miles Davis from the 80s. Personally, I distrust some of Miles' comments on his art from the 80s as he was heavily wrapped up in a star persona by that point. I felt the book was stronger on the bop period and the 60s and seemed to rush headlong through the 80s. This is kind of a pity because Szwed's is the only biography written since Miles' death and more interpretation and a stronger stance on Miles' later period would be illuminating for this contraversial period in his art.

The book seems to be written more for those interested in miles the artist and miles the man than miles the musician. There is not too much musical analysis, and I didn't have too much of a problem with that.

Chambers book goes into greater detail and is still my first recommendation for those seriously interested in Miles, but this can be a good intro and will definitely give folks a greater sense of this powerful figure of jazz.

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3.0 out of 5 stars I've read better Miles, Mar 13 2003
By 
Drak "gusgus88" (Provo, UT United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: So What: The Life of Miles Davis (Hardcover)
I've read most every book about Miles Davis. So I don't know why I was expecting to learn many new things from this book. Szwed's version seems to be a regurgitation of Miles autobiography, Milestones, and the biography by Ian Carr to name a few. I'd definatley suggest those books before picking this one up. Although I found the book to be well written I didn't think it was the best source to learn about Miles and his music.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Realistic and fair portrait of a great musician..., Feb 3 2003
By 
C. Speer "speerhead" (Walnut Creek, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: So What: The Life of Miles Davis (Hardcover)
Even though Szwed captures Miles Davis in a brutally honest light, it is easy to appreciate the co0llective work and capability that Miles Davis excercised during his lifetime. I appreciated the honesty as it enabled me to understand the behavior of Miles throughout his life. I also appreciated the fair treatment of his later work, though not well received, it was nice to gain an understanding of the motives behind the music.
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