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.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684859831?ie=UTF8&tag=jrtvre-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0684859831

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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