Miles Beyond

"I was put here to play music, and interpret music. I might do a lot of other things, but the main thing that I love, that comes before everything, even breathing, is music." —Miles Davis to Ben Sidran in 1986 (The Miles Davis Companion, page 196)

A "must have" for every Miles Davis fan! Miles Beyond dares to venture where not other biographer has gone before. It offers the first in-depth exploration and analysis of Miles Davis's controversial electric period and the violent split of sentiment it produced within the jazz community.

One of the twentieth century's genuine musical geniuses, Miles Davis was a pioneer of such jazz styles as cool, hardbop, and the fusion of orchestral music and jazz in his work with arranger Gil Evans. Yet, when he boldly experimented with rock and African music in the late '60s, giving birth to "fusion" or "jazz-rock," Davis alienated many of his jazz fans. However, his electric explorations endured—and its impact on the music world is still being felt today.

Based on new research, as well as exclusive, first-hand recollections by over 50 musicians, partners, producers, and artists, Miles Beyond offers hundreds of never- before-revealed facts, insights, and revelations about Miles's remarkable artistic and personal life. Readers will discover a new perspective on Miles's working methods, as well as in in-depth, chronological understanding and analysis of the music produced from 1967 to 1991—a period that's been both neglected and misunderstood.