Miles Davis FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Jazz's Prince of Darkness

(FAQ) . For some jazz fans, the only instrumental improvised music in their album collection might be a Miles Davis session, possibly Kind of Blue or Bitches Brew . They might not realize that this trumpeter/composer/bandleader, unlike any other musician in any other genre, singlehandedly transformed his chosen style on four separate occasions. During his 40-plus-year career, Davis pushed jazz from bebop to cool, from cool to hard bop, from hard bop to modal, then from modal to fusion, all while maintaining an aura of style and hipness that made him one of the most revered musicians of all time. But there's more to Miles Davis than best-selling albums and tailored suits: His artistic rises and drug-induced falls are the stuff of Greek tragedy; his partnerships with such greats as alto saxophonist Charlie Parker, tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, and pianist Herbie Hancock were game changers; and his on- and offstage antics were sometimes hilarious, and sometimes appalling, but always compelling. In Miles Davis FAQ , Alan Goldsher brings you inside the man and his music, from biographical tidbits, to "best of" lists, to little-known factoids. With heartfelt affection, gentle humor, and honesty, Goldsher introduces (or reintroduces) both casual listeners and hardcore fans to a man whose imprint on the sounds of the past, present, and future is indelible.