Eric Nisenson
The Making of Kind of Blue: Miles Davis and his Masterpiece (2000)
Author: Eric Nisenson
Genre: Nonfiction (Biography/History/Deep Telling)
Book Summary:
Nisenson's book closely examines the people and influences that contributed to the making of a jazz masterpiece. The author demonstrates that a key factor in the creation of Kind of Blue was the trumpeter's desire to translate gospel music's melancholy, quiet strength and liberating expressiveness into a modern context. Nisenson also calls our attention to the artist's tireless study of music theory; an interest that would culminate in Davis's realization that his own compositions and improvisations could be greatly liberated by substituting modes or scales for chord progressions. As the author points out, Davis's study of composer/music theorist George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept for Tonal Organization greatly contributed to this realization. Davis's uncanny ability to select the musicians best suited to realizing his aims is also discussed at length. To this end, thoughtful biographical sketches of John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and Julian "Cannonball" Adderly (Kind of Blue's key supporting musicians) are also provided. In closing, the author discusses how Kind of Blue's modal compositions greatly influenced Davis's musical peers, helping to open the floodgates of experimentation that would culminate in the free jazz movement of the sixties.
Geographical Setting: New York City
Time Period: 1945-1960, with special emphasis on 1959
Appeal Characteristics:
From the outset, Nisenson clearly defines the scope and purpose of his book: to understand how Kind of Blue came to be made. For the most part, the author achieves his aim by consistently providing the reader with context. He thoroughly examines the people, ideas and influences that informed Davis's creation of a jazz master work. Another main appeal of Nisenson's book is that he offsets his own occasionally pedantic musical analysis with a steady supply of intriguing personal anecdotes (Nisenson and Davis were friends). While the author does include an index and an appendix which explains George Russell's modal theory, one can't help feeling that the inclusion of photographs, a discography and a bibliography would have significantly broadened this book's appeal.
Read-alikes: Readers who enjoy Eric Nisenson's The Making of Kind of Blue (2000) will want to check out the author's biography of Miles Davis, 'Round About Midnight: A Portrait of Miles Davis (1996) which places an even greater emphasis on Nisenson's personal interactions with the great trumpeter. For those seeking a more objective, comprehensive biography of Miles Davis, Ian Carr's Miles Davis: The Definitive Biography (1999) is especially recommended. Readers interested in the artist's own take on his life and times are directed to Miles, The Autobiography (1990) by Miles Davis with Quincy Troupe. Music lovers (jazzheads, hipsters and hepcats) seeking additional information about Davis's bestselling album are directed to Ashley Kahn's Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece (2000). Unlike Nisenson, Kahn provides the reader with numerous photographs, memorabilia, and extensive discographic and bibliographic information. Readers seeking additional biographical information concerning this masterpiece's supporting musicians will find much of interest in Eric Porter's John Coltrane: His Life and Music (1999) and Peter Pettinger's Bill Evans:How My Heart Sings (1998). Finally, Miles Davis and American Culture (2001), edited by Gerald Early, is especially recommended to readers interested in the sociological phenomenon of Miles Davis and his music. Early's book is a fascinating collection of essays by jazz critic and musicians alike.
Red Flags: Occasional expletives
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