Rating: 
Summary: Collaborator occassionally but never politically
Review: Miles' words match his music. That revolutionary sound burns, subverts and takes you to a whole new space. If you read his life story you'll never question whether he put himself into his sound. The book doesn't pander to anyone. ( A mild way of stating he writes raw and real.) He was a sinner but did not succomb to the pressures of the establishment press. Who else would turn his his back on the audiences, and terrorize influential interviewers?
This volume, like all his work, totally his own; proves him an intolerant bully, certain drug addict, chronic
irreverent often seething with universal contempt. The section of Cicely Tyson's extravagant 'Tribute to Miles' is too good for me to spoil it here. Miles surely demythologizes Tyson, whom he claimed he never loved. But he also gets a few jabs in at Trane, and we all know the pantheon wherein he presides.
His childhood is interesting and not the typical po' boy refrain. His father a dentist, comfortable but surely not wealthy. Still, on the whole, Davis had it better in St. Louis than most black folks.
This book is a "must read" for jazz lovers and people who seek liberation from the ordinary. Hear Miles talk about how good he looked and sounded. Nobody else could have written this book. Nobody would dare.
Rating: 
Summary: An important work of history and honest soul searching
Review: Miles Davis, with all his faults, flaws and laughable quirks, was still one of the most important musicians of the twentieth century. It takes a book like this where he leaves no stone unturned to make clear the debt we all owe him and his contemporaries, as well as the restless spirit that lead him beyond what he helped to establish as modern jazz. In many ways he shows himself to be, ironically, the archetypal and sterotypical artist simultaneously. Yet his telling of the profound friendships he had with Max Roach and Coltrane, his deep awe and respect but dispassionate eye for the genius and addictions of Charlie Parker, the loves of his life- and what he put them through, and his brutal, courageous hoonesty in general, gives us a gift of his haunting humanity. But above all, this about the music. His own telling of his style, the true creators of the form in total and the actual environment where it was produced, and how he created so many styles of his own is enough to make this book worth having. You will never find another human being who can make curse words sound so beautiful! If you love jazz, or are a jazz musician, this book will remind you why. And why you love Miles. Everybody does.
Rating:
Summary: Miles lets his beautiful but imperfect soul speak.
Review: Wow! I recently inhaled this book and felt obliged to review it. It is captivating and unapologetic, even brutal at times... and REAL... I loved it for this. Great works of art can easily appear larger than life when they are displayed in museums or remastered in handsome packaging for the world to enjoy... It's easy to be rightfully consumed by their beauty and forget the harshness of life that beats down on us all (artists included). Miles Davis's music for me is the ultimate escape... the ultimate adventure into a relaxing, interesting aural universe. So I must admit it was a quick jolt to the system to read autobiographical tales of neglect, addiction, jealousy, financial stuggle, broken relationships, boastful egos, clashes with authority, poor health, disposable relationships and racial unrest in the United States... the writing here is REAL. The 400+ pages here have potential to "push buttons" and have you shaking your head in disbelief. In today's homogenized Brittany Spears world of image obsession and greed, it's a pleasure to read a book by someone who just "doesn't care". Miles lets his beautiful but imperfect soul speak. I wouldn't want to read otherwise.
Rating:
Summary: excellent read
Review: Anytime someone allows his or her life story to be told, he leaves himself open to the judgments of the people who read it. After reading Miles, it is really easy to criticize Miles Davis for many of the decisions and actions he made in his life. But whether or not one likes the image that Mr. Davis carves out for himself has nothing to do with the merits of Miles as an autobiography. That said, it is excellent. Those interested in jazz and what goes on beyond the recordings and performances will be pleased to find countless anecdotes and stories about the men and women who created one of America's truly unique art forms. That was what originally attracted me to this book, although at first I was wary of reading it. I was influenced by other customer reviews who said that any reader of this book could not possibly like the man after knowing the details of his personal life. But the fact is, I gained a great deal of respect for Miles Davis as a man who made many mistakes in his life and who hurt a lot of people close to him, but was still honest enough to expose himself to the public. I also respect Miles Davis for his staunchly pro-black stance and the small battles he fought for black people throughout his life, which can (and was, and is) easily be misinterpreted for anti-white or pouty arrogance. But he was no racist; his selection of musicians through the years shows that he was committed to performing with the best artists he could surround himself with, black or white.
It must be said that I am a huge fan of Mr. Davis' music, and that I was only twelve years old when he died. I would not hate him for the mistakes he made, but rather accept him as a human being and learn from those mistakes by not repeating them in my own life. The autobiography is Miles' way of saying about his life what he said about his music, "if you like it, great; if you don't, f you."
Rating:
Summary: Sizzling and engaging autobiography of Miles Davis
Review:
"Listen. The greatest feeling I ever had in my life - with my clothes on - was when I first hear Diz and Bird together in St. Louis, Missouri, back in 1944". And so begins Miles' account of his remarkable career. In collaboration with Quincy Troupe, Davis guides us through the events and the people in his life that shaped his music. A brilliant piece of work which is distinctly Miles - simultaneously angry and humorous, harsh and reflective. Miles speaks directly about his struggles with drugs, the women in his life, and his experience as an often misunderstood black musician in a white America. Miles also provides us with richly engaging accounts of his music and the musicians he played with over the years. This spirited story is told by Miles in caustic language and he never shies away from controversy. Miles said of his music in his later years "I like playing with young musicians. I want to keep creating, changing. Music isn't about standing still and becoming safe". This book isn't safe and will always be compelling reading. A must read for new and seasoned fans and enthusiasts.
Charlie Saxe
Chicago, Illinois
Rating: 
Summary: Caveats
Review: Not great literature, and not exceptionally insightful. Miles' public persona was a construct, affecting intentionally coarse language and simplistic, conflicting views. Lest you haven't gotten your share of that in the numerous interviews he gave, you can get your fill here. One might say that Miles in his own words is just being "direct"; one might also say that, in terms of this gutteriffic book versus the man's incredible music, his crudeness is hugely disappointing. The best things Miles ever said were thru his music. For measured commentary on his life and work, you'll have to turn elsewhere. Speaking of which, the highly recommended Milestones by Jack Chambers, in its 1998 edition, detailed several passages of Miles autobio that were direct rips from Chambers' own texts. Anyone who thinks Miles' book is the bomb should at least glance at Chambers' recent forward to Milestones, which should raise an eyebrow or two. (Milestones itself is probably the best Miles bio available, in any case.) It's kind of fitting, though; Miles wasn't exactly a stranger to assigning his own name to someone else's music, so why would he be above plagiarizing words? Especially when there's a book advance already doled out and a deadline approaching? I don't mean to demean the musician, though; Miles was obviously a giant and one of the most important visionaries of the 20th century. But again, it's the music itself that tells that particular story. What you get here, in Chambers' words, is "self-inflicted tabloid journalism." The sleazy parts are not worth detailing, and the questions regarding authorship and originality can be distracting to the discerning reader.
Rating:
Summary: The man: his life and his music
Review: For the uninitiated (like me, a few months back), when you first approach the figure of Miles Davis, only looking at him from a musical standpoint, you can't avoid but be marveled at his brilliance, at how he invented and reinvented himself and jazz at large once and again, something that deserves the uttermost respect. But when you delve into his life, you realize that his was one that was filled with demons: living on the edge, pimping for money to finance his heroin addiction, struggling to get by at times, to come back victorious at others, with his 'act' cleaned up to put together a group of brilliant musicians and turn jazz on its head once more. I picked up "Miles" a couple of weeks ago, and I haven't been able to put it down. The style of the book is raw, but direct: granted you can't go past a few paragraphs without reading him curse his way through a memory of an episode of his life, but this is his personal account, without a filter, without political correctness, which is good, because that is certainly one thing Miles was not: politically correct. Complementing in a very balanced way facts about his life with their ups and downs, with very vivid and detailed descriptions about gigs and sessions all through his life, and never skipping the "ugly" parts of the story, this book has given me a deeper respect for a man that could overcome his demons to come out victorious and more creative time and again.
Rating:
Summary: The great Miles Davis.
Review: I first bought this book in 5th Grade and it taught me some new words and catch phrases to say the least. Miles was an interesting man. Not really egotistical at all, but at the same time a very difficult person if you got on his bad side. He's definitely a funny guy sometimes, but he also gets serious when talking about his great albums, his drug addictions, his wives, and his great friends and colleagues such as Gil Evans, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Philly Joe Jones, Art Blakey, Jackie McLean, Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Walter Bishop, Clifford Brown, Max Roach, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Kenny Dorham, Jimmy Heath, John McLaughlin, Sonny Fortune, Gil Coggins, Wynton Kelly, Mike Stern and countless others. He also speaks on some people he made enemies with such as Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, Archie Shepp, Milton Berle and quite a few others. He dishes dirt on a bunch of people, but does so in an interesting and truthful way. Quincy Troupe penned this autobiography and did an amazing job. He was the real poet lauriette this year. I met him this past year and he is an amazing writer and speaker. This book is really Miles, no strings attached. He holds back almost nothing, and sometimes spills more information than the reader had originally wanted to know (like his first orgasm, his thoughts on masturbation, and his slight infatuation with Latin and Asian women, plus more). But this book also has a lot of musical information and really shows who the man with the trumpet and ominous look on his face really is.
Rating:
Summary: Pulls no Punches
Review: Miles Davis was a central figure in Jazz throughout the 2nd half of the 20th century. It makes sense that if you want to learn more about this most important art form you would read this book. There are plenty of f-bombs and other cusswords in this book but they only lend a greater reality to the stories Miles tells. I could go on and on about Miles Davis and his shaping of Jazz during his carreer, moving through Bebop to the Birth of the Cool and bringing great artists such as Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Tony WIlliams, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, Joe Zawinul, John Mclaughlin, and many others into the Jazz world--and I don't even really like the Trumpet as an instrument all that much--But Miles, he rules. And you get to read this book and feel as if you are sitting across the table from him. He reveals his life, warts and all, addictions, mistakes, temper flareups, and all that great ... music! Any person in the least interested in the history of Modern music owes themselves the priviledge of reading this book. Suspend judgement and enjoy the ride!
Rating:
Summary: Miles! Miles! Miles!
Review: This book is the sole reason I became a jazz musician. I first read this at a public library in high school and immediately fell in love with Miles Davis. This is an unbelieveable account of an unbelieveable life. Any jazz fan should read this book.
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