Miles: Ever Changing, Ever Perplexing

R.J. DeLuke

Interviewer since 1999

R.J. DeLuke is an indefatigable jazz fan and arbiter elegantiarum who aspires to ultimate hipness; also an upstate NY freelance writer for various media.

Recent articles (265 total)

Published: March 8, 2004

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Miles Davis and American Culture

Miles Davis and American Culture
Gerald Early (Editor)
Univ of Missouri Press
ISBN: 1883982375

Miles Davis is such a dominating figure that he will probably be analyzed forever. His importance in music is obvious. As a performer, conceptualist, bandleader, trumpeter, guru – whatever – he stands as one of the most significant geniuses in music history, let alone 20th century music.

The music, as Miles was fond of saying, speaks for itself. He was a pioneer, innovator and trendsetter, all the while producing constantly changing styles and consistently outstanding work. That career, always moving forward and changing, is unparalleled in music.

Miles Davis was also beyond the music, like few jazz artists ever have been. He was outspoken and controversial at a time when Afro-Americans were demanding to be heard and insisting on social change.

A new book, “Miles Davis and American Culture” (Missouri Historical Society Press, 228 pages) seeks to put Miles in perspective, examining the culture of the time he lived in and how he and his music fit in. It’s a collection of essays and interviews edited by Gerald Early.

Individually, some hit and some miss. Collectively, the book makes some interesting observations, but guessing (and believe it, a lot of it is guess work) what Miles thought, and why he did certain things, is futile at best, pompous at worst. There is much speculation, many assumptions, and much ado. The best some of the essays do is provide appropriate explanation and information about parts of either the career or music of the Dark Prince.

There is discussion, for example, about whether Miles’ moves were deliberately commercial, whether he was socially relevant, whether he played up to white audiences. A better question might be: Does it matter? The result is in the music, which, in all periods, including the last couple electronic decades, passes the test with flying colors.

That Miles would have hated such discussion and cussed out the various theories espoused in the essays (and those who espouse them,) doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done. The book points out that Miles is an important cultural figure, therefore worthy of such examination. But answers? None are provided. Maybe it wasn’t meant that way. But some of the paths taken on this journey are corny, while others are tolerable.

Did he do enough for Afro-American causes? Did he criticize white society while playing to it? The complexity of those issues and where Miles stood on them makes answering the questions extremely difficult. People did ask those questions of him while he was here, and while the answers could be cryptic, they were direct. Reinterpretations can be bent in any direction.

Early’s essay itself, titled “American Knight and Knave” takes some pretentious stands. Sound and fury indicating nothing in parts — like prattling on about why Miles liked boxing and Sugar Ray Robinson and how his boxing workouts were a daring tightrope walk. (He loved boxing. He liked to stay in shape. Perhaps ... maybe???... he said to trainer Bobby McQuillen “don’t EVER hit me in the face.”) Some people love golf. Who cares?

Early makes some good observations and in some segments paints a decent picture of Miles’ career and what was going on, but it sheds no real light on anything. And it has some errors (He speaks about some good Miles trumpet work on live sessions with Coltrane including At the Blackhawk, which had Hank Mobley on tenor sax, not Trane, and Four and More which had George Coleman).

An essay on Miles and critics restates that he hated them, generally. It’s disjointed. And besides, Davis was highly intelligent and, say band mates and friends, an excellent and immediate judge of people, so it’s no surprise he knew how to work the media when he wanted to.

There are interviews interspersed throughout, mostly done by Benjamin Cawthra, and while brief, they’re good. It’s not the usual lineup either. Bassist Ron Carter doesn’t seem to be queried much and he has interesting comments and anecdotes. His take on the Miles-Marsalis controversy is telling, having played with both. (“Wynton wasn’t in Miles’ class, so how could there be a controversy?)

George Avakian, Ahmad Jamal, Joey DeFrancesco and Quincy Jones all have worthy reflections on Miles.

The now famous Playboy interview done by Alex Haley – the first ever by the magazine, again a signal of Miles’ stature outside the jazz community – is included in the package.

An essay on politics and image by Ingrid Monson has some good descriptive elements, but again, doesn’t shed any great light on the issues. It contains good stories about the making of a couple great live records, Four and More and the Carnegie Hall concert.

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