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3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool
From the author of the definitive biography of Frank Sinatra, the story of how jazz arrived at the pinnacle of American culture in 1959, told through the journey of three towering artists鈥擬iles Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans鈥攚ho came together to create the most famous and bestselling jazz album of all time, Kind of Blue
The myth of the 60s depends on the 1950s being the before times of conformity, segregation, straightness鈥擳he Lonely Crowd and The Organization Man. This all carries some truth, but it does nothing to explain how, in 1959, the great indigenous art form, jazz, reached the height of its power and popularity, led there by a number of Black geniuses so iconic they go by one name鈥擬onk, Mingus, Rollins, Coltrane, and above all, Miles. 1959 saw Miles, Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the other members of Miles鈥檚 sextet come together to record what is widely considered the greatest jazz album of all time, and certainly the Kind of Blue .
3 Shades of Blue is James Kaplan鈥檚 magnificent account of the paths of the three giants Miles, Coltrane and Evans to the mountaintop of 1959 and their path on from there. It鈥檚 a book about music, and business, and race, and heroin, and the towns that gave jazz its home, from New York and LA to Philadelphia, Chicago and Kansas City. It鈥檚 an astonishing meditation on creativity and the strange hothouses that can produce its full flowering. It鈥檚 a book about the great forebears of this golden age, particularly Charlie Parker, and the people, like Ornette Coleman, who would take the music down strange new paths. And it鈥檚 about why this period has never been replicated, why the world of jazz most people visit is a museum to it.
But above all this is a book about three very different men鈥攖heir struggles, their choices, their tragedies, their greatness. Bill Evans had a gruesome downward spiral, John Coltrane took the mystic鈥檚 path into a space far away from mainstream concerns. Miles had three or four sea changes in him before the end. The tapestry of their lives is, in Kaplan鈥檚 hands, an American Odyssey, with no direction home. It is also a masterpiece, a book about jazz that is as big as America.
The myth of the 60s depends on the 1950s being the before times of conformity, segregation, straightness鈥擳he Lonely Crowd and The Organization Man. This all carries some truth, but it does nothing to explain how, in 1959, the great indigenous art form, jazz, reached the height of its power and popularity, led there by a number of Black geniuses so iconic they go by one name鈥擬onk, Mingus, Rollins, Coltrane, and above all, Miles. 1959 saw Miles, Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the other members of Miles鈥檚 sextet come together to record what is widely considered the greatest jazz album of all time, and certainly the Kind of Blue .
3 Shades of Blue is James Kaplan鈥檚 magnificent account of the paths of the three giants Miles, Coltrane and Evans to the mountaintop of 1959 and their path on from there. It鈥檚 a book about music, and business, and race, and heroin, and the towns that gave jazz its home, from New York and LA to Philadelphia, Chicago and Kansas City. It鈥檚 an astonishing meditation on creativity and the strange hothouses that can produce its full flowering. It鈥檚 a book about the great forebears of this golden age, particularly Charlie Parker, and the people, like Ornette Coleman, who would take the music down strange new paths. And it鈥檚 about why this period has never been replicated, why the world of jazz most people visit is a museum to it.
But above all this is a book about three very different men鈥攖heir struggles, their choices, their tragedies, their greatness. Bill Evans had a gruesome downward spiral, John Coltrane took the mystic鈥檚 path into a space far away from mainstream concerns. Miles had three or four sea changes in him before the end. The tapestry of their lives is, in Kaplan鈥檚 hands, an American Odyssey, with no direction home. It is also a masterpiece, a book about jazz that is as big as America.
496 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2024
461 people are currently reading
6162 people want to read
About the author
James Kaplan
37听books81听followersJames Kaplan has been writing noted biography, journalism, and fiction for more than four decades. The author of Frank: The Voice and Sinatra: The Chairman, the definitive two-volume biography of Frank Sinatra, he has written more than one hundred major profiles of figures ranging from Miles Davis to Meryl Streep, from Arthur Miller to Larry David.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 213 reviews
March 27, 2024
Musically, my life has been a series of phases. In middle school, I was mostly into Top 40. In high school, I started listening to 鈥渁lternative/progressive鈥�. In college, it was all about grunge. My senior year, I started listening to a lot of jazz and blues. I listen to more blues than jazz nowadays, but my tastes, at age 51, are pretty eclectic. My CD collection in my car (and, yes, I am well aware of how old that statement makes me) runs the gamut: 311, the Killers, Taylor Swift, Childish Gambino, Muddy Waters. This is just in my car, mind you.
My point? I am always changing, and my tastes are always changing. True growth, I believe, only happens if you鈥檙e willing to evolve. The person who listens to nothing but Jimmy Buffett or Bob Dylan or gangsta rap their whole lives may know what they like, but I can guarantee that they鈥檙e pretty boring to talk to at a dinner party.
James Kaplan鈥檚 book 鈥�3 Shades of Blue鈥� is a biography of three extremely talented jazz musicians: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans. It鈥檚 also a 鈥渂iography鈥� of a particular album. In 1959, 鈥淜ind of Blue鈥� hit record stores. It is, according to virtually all music critics, one of the best jazz recordings ever recorded. How it came to be, and the legacy it left behind is what the book is about.
My main takeaway from the book is how the three main musicians at the heart of this book each pushed themselves to change and evolve. They were never satisfied with where they were, musically and in life. While this was, in some ways, pathetic and sad, it was ultimately beneficial for them musically. They were always looking for that next big step. They were always trying new things, some of which worked, some of which didn鈥檛. If they happened to lose their audience occasionally, it didn鈥檛 matter: it was all part of the process.
Kaplan鈥檚 book isn鈥檛 all a cheery and nice account of musical innovation. Part of each musician鈥檚 evolution involved a lot of hard and, in some cases, self-destructive life choices. The prevalence of abuse from heroin and other substances seemed to be almost a natural albeit horrible choice for jazz musicians. Accompanying that was the shattered relationships and financial problems that followed many of these musicians to their death.
Their legacy, though, is a rich and wonderful oeuvre of fantastic music. It鈥檚 not for everyone, of course, but then again, it was never really meant to be.
My point? I am always changing, and my tastes are always changing. True growth, I believe, only happens if you鈥檙e willing to evolve. The person who listens to nothing but Jimmy Buffett or Bob Dylan or gangsta rap their whole lives may know what they like, but I can guarantee that they鈥檙e pretty boring to talk to at a dinner party.
James Kaplan鈥檚 book 鈥�3 Shades of Blue鈥� is a biography of three extremely talented jazz musicians: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans. It鈥檚 also a 鈥渂iography鈥� of a particular album. In 1959, 鈥淜ind of Blue鈥� hit record stores. It is, according to virtually all music critics, one of the best jazz recordings ever recorded. How it came to be, and the legacy it left behind is what the book is about.
My main takeaway from the book is how the three main musicians at the heart of this book each pushed themselves to change and evolve. They were never satisfied with where they were, musically and in life. While this was, in some ways, pathetic and sad, it was ultimately beneficial for them musically. They were always looking for that next big step. They were always trying new things, some of which worked, some of which didn鈥檛. If they happened to lose their audience occasionally, it didn鈥檛 matter: it was all part of the process.
Kaplan鈥檚 book isn鈥檛 all a cheery and nice account of musical innovation. Part of each musician鈥檚 evolution involved a lot of hard and, in some cases, self-destructive life choices. The prevalence of abuse from heroin and other substances seemed to be almost a natural albeit horrible choice for jazz musicians. Accompanying that was the shattered relationships and financial problems that followed many of these musicians to their death.
Their legacy, though, is a rich and wonderful oeuvre of fantastic music. It鈥檚 not for everyone, of course, but then again, it was never really meant to be.
June 21, 2024
One of my uncles gave me my first CD player along with a CD of A Kind of Blue. That gift sent me down a rabbit hole of jazz exploration in general, and of Miles Davis in particular. The album, released in 1959, is justifiably regarded as the best jazz album ever produced. This book explores the lives and careers of three of the incredible musicians responsible for that album Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Bill Evans. It also delves into the period, after the big band era, in which jazz was both evolving and flourishing.
The book was a little over my head with respect to the nuances of different jazz styles. However, the biographies and descriptions of what musicians had to go through kept me interested. So tragic that each died relatively young, no doubt due to their prolonged drug use. Kind of Blue is magnificent, but each member of the sextet accomplished so much more.
The audiobook (sadly with no music) was expertly narrated by Dion Graham.
4.5 stars
The book was a little over my head with respect to the nuances of different jazz styles. However, the biographies and descriptions of what musicians had to go through kept me interested. So tragic that each died relatively young, no doubt due to their prolonged drug use. Kind of Blue is magnificent, but each member of the sextet accomplished so much more.
The audiobook (sadly with no music) was expertly narrated by Dion Graham.
4.5 stars
March 3, 2024
In 3 Shades of Blue the lives of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans and the creation of Kind of Blue are used as a frame for depicting the history of jazz from bebop through fusion. Their lives are fascinating but tragic, with virtually all of the lows coming from the use of heroin and other substances(a major theme of the book). It's a great book for those simply interested in learning about jazz as well as hardcore fans who want to learn more. Along the way, there's plenty about jazz greats Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk (who took a young Coltrane under his wing), Ornette Coleman and numerous others.
My biggest regret is that as a netgalley reviewer I wanted to review this before the publication date, but that didn't give me sufficient time to listen to the music as I was reading about it (the musical descriptions both in the author's voice and through numerous quotes are often eloquent and illuminating). When I did get a chance to listen, the reading experience was definitely enhanced. I have numerous passages in the book highlighted just so I can go back and listen. I could easily have spent twice as much time listening as I did reading (and only if I was picky).
The culminating event of the book is the recording of Kind of Blue (featuring the books main subjects plus Cannonball Adderly), and the great jazz albums of the annus mirabilis 1959 (includes Coltrane's Giant Steps, Mingus Ah Um, Ornette Coleman's The Shape of Jazz to Come, and Dave Brubeck's Time Out). As a very casual fan of the music, even I can recognize what a great year this was.
The last of the 16 chapters is something of a coda that traces the lives of its protagonists after 1959 up to Miles's death (the only of the three to make it into his 60s). But it actually makes up nearly 30% of the text, and has the most narrative drive of any of the sections. The book is highly recommended and likely to become a classic account. However, in some sections there is a bit of a tendency to list, with lists of bookings and combinations of players that become a blur after a while.
James Kaplan's enthusiasm was definitely infectious and I now have a lot of listening to do. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy for early review.
My biggest regret is that as a netgalley reviewer I wanted to review this before the publication date, but that didn't give me sufficient time to listen to the music as I was reading about it (the musical descriptions both in the author's voice and through numerous quotes are often eloquent and illuminating). When I did get a chance to listen, the reading experience was definitely enhanced. I have numerous passages in the book highlighted just so I can go back and listen. I could easily have spent twice as much time listening as I did reading (and only if I was picky).
The culminating event of the book is the recording of Kind of Blue (featuring the books main subjects plus Cannonball Adderly), and the great jazz albums of the annus mirabilis 1959 (includes Coltrane's Giant Steps, Mingus Ah Um, Ornette Coleman's The Shape of Jazz to Come, and Dave Brubeck's Time Out). As a very casual fan of the music, even I can recognize what a great year this was.
The last of the 16 chapters is something of a coda that traces the lives of its protagonists after 1959 up to Miles's death (the only of the three to make it into his 60s). But it actually makes up nearly 30% of the text, and has the most narrative drive of any of the sections. The book is highly recommended and likely to become a classic account. However, in some sections there is a bit of a tendency to list, with lists of bookings and combinations of players that become a blur after a while.
James Kaplan's enthusiasm was definitely infectious and I now have a lot of listening to do. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy for early review.
April 10, 2024
This is a good overall history of American Jazz from the 1940s to the late 1950s (and a touch afterward). But I have read better books on jazz. He quotes a lot from Miles Davis's memoir, which is perfectly OK, but if you read that book, you don't really need to read "3 Shades of Blue." But saying that, for someone who doesn't know much about this type of music, this book is a good way to get an idea of what it is.
April 2, 2025
I was disappointed by this, if I am going to be honest. It is clear Kaplan has done the work and is a genuine afficionado, and that did elevate this. But it doesn鈥檛 really know what it wants to be and just felt like it rambled all over the place. There is already an exhaustive memoir of Miles Davis鈥檚 life, which Kaplan quotes heavily, and there is also a detailed book all about the actual creation and recording of the album Kind of Blue. So, Kaplan promises in his introduction that instead this is an exploration of not just Davis but also Coltrane and Evans, as the three musical geniuses who gave Kind of Blue its beating heart鈥�. But it clearly isn鈥檛 that. It is 75% Davis and the other two are lost in the remaining 25%. That in and of itself isn鈥檛 bad, especially since as we follow Davis鈥檚 emergence on the scene we learn the trajectory of jazz in America from the 鈥�40s onward; we see how and where Miles was at all of these important moments, so he becomes a way into understanding the constant evolution of jazz. But the way it is put together, with a need to jump over to Coltrane and Evans now and again, sometimes going back and forth in chronology, just made everything feel like disorganized rambling and not the coherent story that is clearly there in all the words on the page. Basically, a solo that has gone on too long.
Kaplan pulled no punches about the devastating lifestyles that plagued many of the great jazz musicians, which I appreciated. He does seem almost sycophantic in his defense of albums that he holds as genius that weren鈥檛 seen as such when they were released, which is a fine opinion to have but it made it hard to distinguish between journalism and hagiography. Considering all that has already been written about Davis and this album, and what felt like meager attention given to Coltrane and Evans in this history, I would have really enjoyed going deeper into the idea of art itself as understood by these legends. To his credit Kaplan does broach this, especially notable when sharing a lengthy quote from Jon Batiste about how Miles had to push into a new style, discover all of its boundaries, and then move on, leaving it for others to explore, while Coltrane would move into something new, find its boundaries and then evolve those boundaries, and Evans focused on one conception that he just kept digging deeper and deeper into. I think a more intense exploration into that would have really made this something special, trying to discern how each artist鈥檚 understanding of art and their relationship to art worked together to create this particular album at this particular time and place in the history of jazz. The tempting promise for that exploration is here, but it never lives up to it.
The knowledge here is really wonderful. The sense of change and vitality that pervaded the jazz scene, only for it to so quickly come crashing down, is captured really well. Just the exploration and how swing and dance led into Bebop thanks largely to Dizzy Gillepsie and Charlie Parker, and how that led to hard bop, and then smooth jazz, then avantgarde, and so on, the way certain musical voices affected change in the entire scene and how that evolution directly contributed to this pivotal album, that is all interesting and I am glad I was able to learn about it with the enthusiasm Kaplan brings to the material. But my overall impression is that this history didn鈥檛 have a firm grasp on what it wanted to be or what story it wanted to tell, so it wandered around and tired me out by the end.
(Rounded up from 2.5)
Kaplan pulled no punches about the devastating lifestyles that plagued many of the great jazz musicians, which I appreciated. He does seem almost sycophantic in his defense of albums that he holds as genius that weren鈥檛 seen as such when they were released, which is a fine opinion to have but it made it hard to distinguish between journalism and hagiography. Considering all that has already been written about Davis and this album, and what felt like meager attention given to Coltrane and Evans in this history, I would have really enjoyed going deeper into the idea of art itself as understood by these legends. To his credit Kaplan does broach this, especially notable when sharing a lengthy quote from Jon Batiste about how Miles had to push into a new style, discover all of its boundaries, and then move on, leaving it for others to explore, while Coltrane would move into something new, find its boundaries and then evolve those boundaries, and Evans focused on one conception that he just kept digging deeper and deeper into. I think a more intense exploration into that would have really made this something special, trying to discern how each artist鈥檚 understanding of art and their relationship to art worked together to create this particular album at this particular time and place in the history of jazz. The tempting promise for that exploration is here, but it never lives up to it.
The knowledge here is really wonderful. The sense of change and vitality that pervaded the jazz scene, only for it to so quickly come crashing down, is captured really well. Just the exploration and how swing and dance led into Bebop thanks largely to Dizzy Gillepsie and Charlie Parker, and how that led to hard bop, and then smooth jazz, then avantgarde, and so on, the way certain musical voices affected change in the entire scene and how that evolution directly contributed to this pivotal album, that is all interesting and I am glad I was able to learn about it with the enthusiasm Kaplan brings to the material. But my overall impression is that this history didn鈥檛 have a firm grasp on what it wanted to be or what story it wanted to tell, so it wandered around and tired me out by the end.
(Rounded up from 2.5)
July 5, 2024
James Kaplan鈥檚 jazz book explores the lives, separately and then together, of three important figures in modern jazz: Miles Davis (trumpet), John Coltrane (saxophone), and Bill Evans (piano). The trio came together as part of the ensemble for Davis鈥� Columbia LP Kind of Blue, the bestselling jazz record of all time (recorded in 1959). But their association would prove fleeting鈥攚hen Evans left the studio for that album, he also left Davis鈥� employ permanently.
Other books have covered this territory. Ashley Kahn鈥檚 Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece (2000), imparted the sad truth that the musicians were paid $25 for the session鈥攅xcept for drummer Jimmy Cobb, who got $40 because of the $15 carting bonus. The money was in the publishing. But Kaplan鈥檚 book informs us that Davis took writing credit for 鈥淏lue in Green,鈥� which Evans actually wrote, depriving the pianist of copious royalties. When the mild-mannered Evans complained about this, Davis wrote him a check for $25.
All three of these musicians were geniuses, a term not to be taken lightly. Each revolutionized the playing of their instrument. The case could be made that Evans reached his peak on Kind of Blue (where he was one of two pianists, with Wynton Kelly), but Coltrane soared to other great heights with Giant Steps, Impressions, A Love Supreme, and many more. Davis, well, he kept setting new directions in music for decades to come. But never again with such massive public acceptance.
Kaplan鈥檚 structure works well, providing chapters with mini-biographies of the three that, while familiar stories, are contrasted with the lives of the other two. Kaplan interviewed Davis, in 1989 on assignment from Vanity Fair, but admits that he didn鈥檛 know much about jazz then and didn鈥檛 get a whole lot from the ailing Davis (a fair amount on his feud with Wynton Marsalis, though). As a result, Kaplan relies heavily for quotation on the 1990 book Davis wrote with writer Quincy Troupe, one of the least-revealing, least reliable and most profanity-filled autobiographies ever.
Other musicians who get a say here include Jon Batiste, Dave Liebman, Wallace Roney, Chick Corea, Denny Zeitlin, and Jack DeJohnette. Liebman imparts that when he was playing with Miles (long after Kind of Blue) he caught flak from the other band members as the sole white guy. Miles tells them that Liebman 鈥渁in鈥檛 got no color.鈥� That reprises what Davis was told when he hired Bill Evans, and throughout his career the outspoken trumpet player had plenty to say about race, but he always hired the best musicians, whatever color they were.
John Coltrane is probably the most elusive figure here, in part because he rarely got personal in interviews, but Kaplan manages to round him out fairly well. The author is very good on all three musicians鈥� drug addictions, which threatened to bring them down. Davis and Coltrane quit (heroin at least; Davis continued to do massive amounts of cocaine) but Evans鈥攍ike Chet Baker鈥攔emained both productive and addicted for the rest of his life. But the scope of his music, heard most of the time in trio, narrowed.
It's impossible to view these artists in isolation, so the book also acquaints us with Julian 鈥淐annonball鈥� Adderley (who鈥檚 also on Kind of Blue); saxophonist Charlie 鈥淏ird鈥� Parker, who influenced everybody and gave Davis his start; Sonny Rollins and the upstart Ornette Coleman (Coltrane liked him; Davis didn鈥檛); and the great pianist Red Garland, who played with both Coltrane and Davis.
Along the way, Kaplan shows us just how clueless jazz reviewers were at the time, routinely dismissing new forms of music they didn鈥檛 understand, from bebop to the avant-garde. The pans must have hurt at the time. Downbeat鈥檚 reviewer docked a Davis album featuring Coltrane for the saxophonist鈥檚 鈥済eneral lack of individuality.鈥�
In the end, the public conception of these musicians holds. Miles Davis is a one-of-a-kind combination of yin and yang, sensitive on the bandstand but often grossly insensitive off it. Coltrane is a spiritual seeker who reached the mountaintop but then boxed himself into a free jazz corner. And the lesser-known Evans is the influential quiet communicator, hemmed in by his habit.
The stories continue after Kind of Blue but the book could have ended there. Kaplan writes that he finds 鈥渁lmost all the jazz I want and need鈥� in and around bebop, which is perhaps why he doesn鈥檛 more effectively illuminate Coltrane鈥檚 later on-the-edge recordings or the plugged-in Davis of the 1970s. (He lets pianist Keith Jarrett disparage the latter.) But from the late 1940s to the early 1960s the author is in his element, and by bringing these three together he performs a useful service.
Other books have covered this territory. Ashley Kahn鈥檚 Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece (2000), imparted the sad truth that the musicians were paid $25 for the session鈥攅xcept for drummer Jimmy Cobb, who got $40 because of the $15 carting bonus. The money was in the publishing. But Kaplan鈥檚 book informs us that Davis took writing credit for 鈥淏lue in Green,鈥� which Evans actually wrote, depriving the pianist of copious royalties. When the mild-mannered Evans complained about this, Davis wrote him a check for $25.
All three of these musicians were geniuses, a term not to be taken lightly. Each revolutionized the playing of their instrument. The case could be made that Evans reached his peak on Kind of Blue (where he was one of two pianists, with Wynton Kelly), but Coltrane soared to other great heights with Giant Steps, Impressions, A Love Supreme, and many more. Davis, well, he kept setting new directions in music for decades to come. But never again with such massive public acceptance.
Kaplan鈥檚 structure works well, providing chapters with mini-biographies of the three that, while familiar stories, are contrasted with the lives of the other two. Kaplan interviewed Davis, in 1989 on assignment from Vanity Fair, but admits that he didn鈥檛 know much about jazz then and didn鈥檛 get a whole lot from the ailing Davis (a fair amount on his feud with Wynton Marsalis, though). As a result, Kaplan relies heavily for quotation on the 1990 book Davis wrote with writer Quincy Troupe, one of the least-revealing, least reliable and most profanity-filled autobiographies ever.
Other musicians who get a say here include Jon Batiste, Dave Liebman, Wallace Roney, Chick Corea, Denny Zeitlin, and Jack DeJohnette. Liebman imparts that when he was playing with Miles (long after Kind of Blue) he caught flak from the other band members as the sole white guy. Miles tells them that Liebman 鈥渁in鈥檛 got no color.鈥� That reprises what Davis was told when he hired Bill Evans, and throughout his career the outspoken trumpet player had plenty to say about race, but he always hired the best musicians, whatever color they were.
John Coltrane is probably the most elusive figure here, in part because he rarely got personal in interviews, but Kaplan manages to round him out fairly well. The author is very good on all three musicians鈥� drug addictions, which threatened to bring them down. Davis and Coltrane quit (heroin at least; Davis continued to do massive amounts of cocaine) but Evans鈥攍ike Chet Baker鈥攔emained both productive and addicted for the rest of his life. But the scope of his music, heard most of the time in trio, narrowed.
It's impossible to view these artists in isolation, so the book also acquaints us with Julian 鈥淐annonball鈥� Adderley (who鈥檚 also on Kind of Blue); saxophonist Charlie 鈥淏ird鈥� Parker, who influenced everybody and gave Davis his start; Sonny Rollins and the upstart Ornette Coleman (Coltrane liked him; Davis didn鈥檛); and the great pianist Red Garland, who played with both Coltrane and Davis.
Along the way, Kaplan shows us just how clueless jazz reviewers were at the time, routinely dismissing new forms of music they didn鈥檛 understand, from bebop to the avant-garde. The pans must have hurt at the time. Downbeat鈥檚 reviewer docked a Davis album featuring Coltrane for the saxophonist鈥檚 鈥済eneral lack of individuality.鈥�
In the end, the public conception of these musicians holds. Miles Davis is a one-of-a-kind combination of yin and yang, sensitive on the bandstand but often grossly insensitive off it. Coltrane is a spiritual seeker who reached the mountaintop but then boxed himself into a free jazz corner. And the lesser-known Evans is the influential quiet communicator, hemmed in by his habit.
The stories continue after Kind of Blue but the book could have ended there. Kaplan writes that he finds 鈥渁lmost all the jazz I want and need鈥� in and around bebop, which is perhaps why he doesn鈥檛 more effectively illuminate Coltrane鈥檚 later on-the-edge recordings or the plugged-in Davis of the 1970s. (He lets pianist Keith Jarrett disparage the latter.) But from the late 1940s to the early 1960s the author is in his element, and by bringing these three together he performs a useful service.
May 1, 2024
I was a bit disappointed with this. I expected more of a focus on the making of the album "Kind of Blue". The inside story, or back story of each track, something like that. Instead, it was more of a mini-biography of each of the key players; their road and history of how they got to that point - the MANY groupings each one had, the list of musicians they played with along the way, who was in jail or in rehab for using drugs. About one chapter on the making of that iconic album. Then the trail of the key musicians AFTER making the recording. I frankly could not keep track of all the comings and goings of the various players. And as a drummer who can't read music, I was lost when they discussed keys/chords/modal technical details. And while I knew the jazz musicians of the era had drugs flowing pretty freely, I didn't realize just how prevalent and disruptive the use of heroine (plus alcohol) was.
March 29, 2024
Excellent. I was anticipating a solid read because I like all of these players, especially Miles, but Kaplan created a narrative that had me reeled in from the beginning. This is kind of like three biographies, heavy on Miles as the anchor subject, building up to their involvement in the making of Kind of Blue and then tracking each man's life after the album's release. I was familiar with each of their stories, but Kaplan created a magical aura around what each of these people brought to Kind of Blue, including all of the struggles and triumphs for each man along the way. Heroin use was mind-bogglingly prevalent due partially to everyone's worship of Charlie Parker at the time and, as any jazz fan knows, each man more than dabbled in the drug. Miles and Coltrane eventually left it behind, but I was kind of shocked at how much of a mess Bill Evans was from Kind of Blue to the end of his life - a cautionary tale, for sure. After Kind of Blue changed jazz forever, Kaplan again tracks Davis, Coltrane, and Evans's careers as they diverged after the album. Davis, to me, had many more highly creative and, dare I say, revolutionary moves to make with his music, Coltrane sort of peaked with A Love Supreme and yet kept making music (very challenging free jazz to this listener's ears) up until his premature death in 1967, but Evans, while still playing beautifully, also played it safe, at least musically. Truthfully, there wasn't much about Coltrane and Miles that I wasn't already aware of, but Evans's painfully slow decline (referred to in the book as the slowest suicide of all time) was difficult to read about. I will say that this would be a solid read for any fan of jazz, but also written in a way that is accessible for someone with no background in the genre either. Great read.
June 26, 2024
A beautiful and haunting story of three pivotal figures who were some of the best musicians in history, period. Kaplan, a veteran music journalist who interviewed Miles Davis (without actually knowing anything about jazz), spins his subjects' stories backward and forward from the transcendent recording of Kind of Blue (in my opinion, God's great gift to the 20th century). His thorough research brings forward their personalities in their specificity and their similarities - extroverted or withdrawn, angry or contemplative, willing to go with the flow or buck the system. The most tragic recurring theme is the influence of heroin that cut so many of these geniuses' lives short. Make sure to listen to the music while you're reading the book to make the stories that much more harrowingly alive.
November 11, 2024
If you like jazz - read this! If you like music - read this! What a fabulous book about three very talented musicians. More time was spent on Miles rather than Coltrane or Bill Evans, but that's OK. The build up was to Miles putting together a sextet that created not only one of the greatest jazz albums, but one of the greatest albums of all time.
I would read this one again.
I would read this one again.
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March 28, 2025Read for Booktube Prize Octofinals 2025
April 17, 2025
Superb.Deeply researched. Empathetically written. Three gifted, drug addicted 鈥� alcoholic geniuses. Suffering racism in both directions. Some amazing partners who kept them going.
December 28, 2024
Like any jazz enthusiast, "Kind of Blue" is at the top of my list. Miles Davis' album as well as Coltrane's "Blue Train" were my intro to jazz. I then got hooked. More specifically, bebop and cool jazz. Not a fan of Miles' eccentric later stuff. Like the author states a couple times, some of it is just noise.
When I saw this book in a small-town bookstore, I had to buy it. I'd never come across a jazz biography, let alone one about Miles and Coltrane, so yes please! FYI, it's much more than that! There are hundreds of name drops. Info on Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Chet Baker, Dizzie Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, etc.
The writer is very thorough, to the point that it was borderline too much or too long. I love that it covers each musician's beginning, all the way to their ends. There is a lot of info though, and there is a lot of repetition. But super cool to really see what it was like to be a jazz musician.
Most of it happens in New York in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. That sounds to me like the best jazz years. The repetition and detailed stories show who was in what band, playing at what jazz bar, and what drugs they were on. Then who left one band to go start is own band in another bar. There is a lot of movement and a lot of names. This drummer with that alto and this trumpet and this singer, etc. Super cool and super interesting.
I had absolutely no idea that almost every single jazz musician was addicted to heroin. It was even part of the charm and cool factor of being a jazz musician. You will see that literally every jazz musician dies young. I don't think there are any old jazz guys. They were troubled by infidelity, drug use, alcohol use, violence, etc. A real eye opener.
Anyway, I woul recommend this to anyone who loves jazz or wants a nice view of that lifestyle. I was blown away.
When I saw this book in a small-town bookstore, I had to buy it. I'd never come across a jazz biography, let alone one about Miles and Coltrane, so yes please! FYI, it's much more than that! There are hundreds of name drops. Info on Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Chet Baker, Dizzie Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, etc.
The writer is very thorough, to the point that it was borderline too much or too long. I love that it covers each musician's beginning, all the way to their ends. There is a lot of info though, and there is a lot of repetition. But super cool to really see what it was like to be a jazz musician.
Most of it happens in New York in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. That sounds to me like the best jazz years. The repetition and detailed stories show who was in what band, playing at what jazz bar, and what drugs they were on. Then who left one band to go start is own band in another bar. There is a lot of movement and a lot of names. This drummer with that alto and this trumpet and this singer, etc. Super cool and super interesting.
I had absolutely no idea that almost every single jazz musician was addicted to heroin. It was even part of the charm and cool factor of being a jazz musician. You will see that literally every jazz musician dies young. I don't think there are any old jazz guys. They were troubled by infidelity, drug use, alcohol use, violence, etc. A real eye opener.
Anyway, I woul recommend this to anyone who loves jazz or wants a nice view of that lifestyle. I was blown away.
April 28, 2024
I've already read The Making of Kind of Blue by the late Eric Nisenson, and I have Miles Davis' own memoir gazing down at me intimidatingly from the shelf as we speak, as yet unread, but I couldn't resist checking out this brand new joint biography of the three key architects of that seminal work of art, Davis, John Coltrane and Bill Evans, not only because it's a subject and period that fascinates me (and fills me with a degree of jealousy for not having been alive yet at the time) but because the author is James Kaplan, whose two-volume biog of Frank Sinatra I loved so much I wrote him a letter (and he responded very graciously). Needless to say I found the book a total pleasure and it sent me back deep into dark corners of my record collection. I'm going to try to listen to a lot more of Evans' work as leader as a result of the book, but mostly I admit it sent me back to long-beloved works of Miles' (though I did return to Charlie Parker's endlessly delightful Dial/Savoy recordings for a long drive at one point).
I love nearly all eras of Miles' output but consider Coltrane something above and beyond a master, whereas I really know nothing of Evans' work beyond KOB. Kaplan really illuminates these three as well as other greats on the page, always full of both empathy and challenge, and he celebrates this era of American mastery without seeming like he is nostalgic or out of touch. I'd assume that strong acolytes of Davis and Coltrane and jazz in general won't learn much here, but I would be equally surprised if they didn't find immense pleasure in the way that Kaplan captures it all. You really feel like you know those people and that world in three dimensions when it's all over. Only one objection: it feels like Kind of Blue itself comes and goes in a heartbeat. But maybe that's the point, since it really did.
I appreciate Kaplan, unlike some other writers who've covered the hard bop and cool jazz periods, not being dismissive of free jazz, Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra, later Coltrane, etc. and also finding the beauty in Davis' fusion work (I generally don't care for fusion but I love those albums), which actually seems to have been his own "way in" to jazz.
I love nearly all eras of Miles' output but consider Coltrane something above and beyond a master, whereas I really know nothing of Evans' work beyond KOB. Kaplan really illuminates these three as well as other greats on the page, always full of both empathy and challenge, and he celebrates this era of American mastery without seeming like he is nostalgic or out of touch. I'd assume that strong acolytes of Davis and Coltrane and jazz in general won't learn much here, but I would be equally surprised if they didn't find immense pleasure in the way that Kaplan captures it all. You really feel like you know those people and that world in three dimensions when it's all over. Only one objection: it feels like Kind of Blue itself comes and goes in a heartbeat. But maybe that's the point, since it really did.
I appreciate Kaplan, unlike some other writers who've covered the hard bop and cool jazz periods, not being dismissive of free jazz, Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra, later Coltrane, etc. and also finding the beauty in Davis' fusion work (I generally don't care for fusion but I love those albums), which actually seems to have been his own "way in" to jazz.
March 8, 2024
Always Fascinating
A good part of the book is familiar stories of the background and build up to Kind of Blue. I didn't know quite as much about Evans, so I found his story engaging. The author really explained how !music compelled these three men, revealing them beyond just their formidable talents. The details of their lives and careers, right up to their passing, leant an understanding of the compulsions and drives of those who live to create and perform.
A good part of the book is familiar stories of the background and build up to Kind of Blue. I didn't know quite as much about Evans, so I found his story engaging. The author really explained how !music compelled these three men, revealing them beyond just their formidable talents. The details of their lives and careers, right up to their passing, leant an understanding of the compulsions and drives of those who live to create and perform.
April 21, 2024
This is the best book I have read for years. If you鈥檙e a fan of Miles Davis and appreciate a chronological, magazine-journalism-feature style spread out over 430 pages then I am sure you will enjoy this. There鈥檚 such atmosphere and vivid portraits of dusky New York bars with miles Davis and Charlie Parker playing in bars across the street from one another and so on it鈥檚 a rewarding read.
August 8, 2024
I enjoyed reading this book so much--it made me feel "cool" just reading it. The genius and pathos of Miles, Coltrane, and Evans (and Charlie Parker too) are compelling. And of course listening to the recording of "Kind of Blue" is a must.
June 27, 2024
Those who see will find something captured that escapes explanation.
September 30, 2024
I enjoyed this! Credit to Dion Graham for the wonderful narration. (That said, I would have loved to experience an audiobook more creatively produced around this text鈥erhaps some music/live recordings embedded throughout? Big ask, I know.)
As a long-time appreciator of jazz but not an expert by any means, I felt particularly well-suited as the target audience of this book. Few of the names, concepts, and historical events referenced here were new to me, but all are explored in much greater depth than the extent of my prior knowledge. I would highly recommend this book to those looking for an introduction to this period in jazz history but who also possess at least a basic understanding of the way bebop and swing sound, the style and influence of Charlie Parker, the history of jazz up to the inter-war years, and other snippets of background knowledge that strengthened my reading of the first half of the text. In response to some reviews I鈥檝e seen lamenting Kaplan鈥檚 rather economical approach to discussing the making of 鈥淜ind of Blue鈥�, I鈥檇 strongly suggest reading the Acknowledgments/Credits sections (or their counterparts in the paper editions) before deciding whether or not to dive into the entire book. Kaplan explains his approach as a biographer quite succinctly in those pages, while also listing out some of the texts he cites throughout this work. If you鈥檝e already read the tomes mentioned (e.g., , , and ), you might not find this one particularly illuminating.
A propensity to overuse the term 鈥済enius鈥� aside, Kaplan himself is a skilled writer. I am not qualified to evaluate his critical analysis of jazz (beyond the impression that he strongly prefers Bill Evans鈥� journey post-鈥淜ind of Blue鈥� to that of the other members of the trio), but I found that his writing adequately reflects the lyricism within the music he discussed. Content-wise, my biggest takeaways include the striking parallels between Charlie Parker鈥檚 mentorship of Miles Davis at the beginning of the latter鈥檚 career to that of Miles Davis towards John Coltrane so many years later. Also, Davis鈥� love for Europe in the late 鈥�40s brought to mind scenes from the docu-series I enjoyed earlier this year as well as notes from a lecture I had the pleasure of attending by Kira Thurman some years ago for her book . Contrasting the humanity and respect with which Black musicians were greeted in Europe throughout the twentieth century against the conservatism sweeping across the continent today feels particularly disheartening.
From the last third of the book, I thoroughly enjoyed the way Kaplan frames Evans鈥� dive into lyricism after 鈥淜ind of Blue鈥� against Trane鈥檚 deviation almost entirely from melody, with Miles floating somewhere in the middle, experimenting with so many new genre forms. Moving forward, I鈥檓 definitely adding this one to the re-read pile, hoping to approach it anew in physical form. In the meantime, it couldn鈥檛 hurt to expand my understanding of modality vs tonality and to listen to more of the records Kaplan discusses.
As a long-time appreciator of jazz but not an expert by any means, I felt particularly well-suited as the target audience of this book. Few of the names, concepts, and historical events referenced here were new to me, but all are explored in much greater depth than the extent of my prior knowledge. I would highly recommend this book to those looking for an introduction to this period in jazz history but who also possess at least a basic understanding of the way bebop and swing sound, the style and influence of Charlie Parker, the history of jazz up to the inter-war years, and other snippets of background knowledge that strengthened my reading of the first half of the text. In response to some reviews I鈥檝e seen lamenting Kaplan鈥檚 rather economical approach to discussing the making of 鈥淜ind of Blue鈥�, I鈥檇 strongly suggest reading the Acknowledgments/Credits sections (or their counterparts in the paper editions) before deciding whether or not to dive into the entire book. Kaplan explains his approach as a biographer quite succinctly in those pages, while also listing out some of the texts he cites throughout this work. If you鈥檝e already read the tomes mentioned (e.g., , , and ), you might not find this one particularly illuminating.
A propensity to overuse the term 鈥済enius鈥� aside, Kaplan himself is a skilled writer. I am not qualified to evaluate his critical analysis of jazz (beyond the impression that he strongly prefers Bill Evans鈥� journey post-鈥淜ind of Blue鈥� to that of the other members of the trio), but I found that his writing adequately reflects the lyricism within the music he discussed. Content-wise, my biggest takeaways include the striking parallels between Charlie Parker鈥檚 mentorship of Miles Davis at the beginning of the latter鈥檚 career to that of Miles Davis towards John Coltrane so many years later. Also, Davis鈥� love for Europe in the late 鈥�40s brought to mind scenes from the docu-series I enjoyed earlier this year as well as notes from a lecture I had the pleasure of attending by Kira Thurman some years ago for her book . Contrasting the humanity and respect with which Black musicians were greeted in Europe throughout the twentieth century against the conservatism sweeping across the continent today feels particularly disheartening.
From the last third of the book, I thoroughly enjoyed the way Kaplan frames Evans鈥� dive into lyricism after 鈥淜ind of Blue鈥� against Trane鈥檚 deviation almost entirely from melody, with Miles floating somewhere in the middle, experimenting with so many new genre forms. Moving forward, I鈥檓 definitely adding this one to the re-read pile, hoping to approach it anew in physical form. In the meantime, it couldn鈥檛 hurt to expand my understanding of modality vs tonality and to listen to more of the records Kaplan discusses.
January 1, 2025
Heroin. Avoid heroin. Reading jazz history will break your heart with the lives shortened and ruined.
I really enjoyed the passages in this book that describe the music, defining terms and citing examples. Kaplan explains well. His play by play of Kind of Blue will send you to your headphones to give it a fresh listen. Same for several other albums and artists. He also has a way of sketching the style of the individual player.
As for the main characters? Bird was a monster. Miles was a self-absorbed user of people. Coltrane was a spiritual seeker, humorless and addicted. Evans lacked self-assurance and romanticized his life as an addict. I came away liking Cannonball Adderley and Wallace Roney.
I really enjoyed the passages in this book that describe the music, defining terms and citing examples. Kaplan explains well. His play by play of Kind of Blue will send you to your headphones to give it a fresh listen. Same for several other albums and artists. He also has a way of sketching the style of the individual player.
As for the main characters? Bird was a monster. Miles was a self-absorbed user of people. Coltrane was a spiritual seeker, humorless and addicted. Evans lacked self-assurance and romanticized his life as an addict. I came away liking Cannonball Adderley and Wallace Roney.
August 10, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. Miles Davis is such a genius and inspiration, in the way he adapted and kept evolving and was responsible for so many careers and movements in jazz. You can learn about all the history of jazz just from learning about miles. So incredible. He was a giant asshole, no doubt, but still very interesting character to read. And perhaps more captivating John Coltrane! While I love miles鈥� music and albums, Coltrane to me is more easily identifiable and entertaining player, and the hidden depth and sadness of the man was also great to read. And then there鈥檚 Bill Evans. I don鈥檛 have anything to say about him or his parts in here. With all due respect, He isn鈥檛 on the level of the other two in my opinion, as a player or a subject.
August 26, 2024
In 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool, James Kaplan has written an electrifying account of three jazz legends and how their stories brought them together for the briefest of moments to create the game-changing and best-selling jazz album of all time, Kind of Blue, and what happened after鈥攖o each of them, and, in many ways, to jazz itself.
As history, it鈥檚 illuminating and fascinating. As a story, it is, by turns, stirring and heartbreaking. As music reference, it鈥檚 indispensable: practically every page demands a song or album be put on the Hi-Fi. Just as Kind of Blue is the perfect entry point into jazz music, 3 Shades of Blue is the ideal entry point into jazz鈥檚 story鈥攅ach its own mighty branch of the jazz family tree, each thrillingly setting the stage for exploration and discovery in all directions.
As history, it鈥檚 illuminating and fascinating. As a story, it is, by turns, stirring and heartbreaking. As music reference, it鈥檚 indispensable: practically every page demands a song or album be put on the Hi-Fi. Just as Kind of Blue is the perfect entry point into jazz music, 3 Shades of Blue is the ideal entry point into jazz鈥檚 story鈥攅ach its own mighty branch of the jazz family tree, each thrillingly setting the stage for exploration and discovery in all directions.
March 31, 2024
An incredible biography of three jazz giants, compellingly written with a treasure trove of quotes from the musicians themselves and interesting commentary on the period which leaves plenty of room for digressing viewpoints. I was hooked from the first page, and now I have lots of listening homework.
June 6, 2024
I have 12 other books on Miles Davis and related subjects in my library, so I didn't expect much new stuff from this one. But I was wrong. Kaplan has dug up all kinds of useful new information, interviews, and a uniquely fresh perspective on the Dark Magus and his circle of magicians. Very engagingly written, too.
Recommended to jazz fans and newbies alike!
Recommended to jazz fans and newbies alike!
April 1, 2025
Read for the Booktube Prize of 2025.
The writer loves and knows his jazz and gives us glimpses into the crazy whirlpool of the life of a jazz musicians in the early years. The humanity of how addictions are addressed shows.
I was less impressed by the structure the book was presented in: the more intense focus on Miles Davies made it more a book about him than Evans and Coltrane.
The writer loves and knows his jazz and gives us glimpses into the crazy whirlpool of the life of a jazz musicians in the early years. The humanity of how addictions are addressed shows.
I was less impressed by the structure the book was presented in: the more intense focus on Miles Davies made it more a book about him than Evans and Coltrane.
July 7, 2024
Excellent group biography of the three major players from Kind of Blue. Tragic and fascinating at points, the protagonists created something magical and influenced many of the musicians who heard them.
Read
August 24, 2024I loved every bit of this. A deep dive into three of the best musicians to ever do it. Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and my favorite, Bill Evans.
October 7, 2024
Not sure whether I鈥檓 the right audience for this book. I鈥檓 not sorry I read it, by any means, and my knowledge of and appreciation for this era of jazz have definitely grown. Just sometimes I got bogged down by all the characters, only about half of whose names were familiar to me. I grew tired of it and skimmed through the end. A schematic sort of 鈥渇amily tree鈥� would have helped me. I would have liked captions on the photos, too.
February 12, 2025
This is a fascinating book. It is very well researched and an excellent resource book for anyone who is interested in tracking down some fabulous music/recording seasons.
March 7, 2025
A fascinating look into the 鈥渂irth of the cool鈥� era.
I a have also been inspired to make a list of jazz records noted in this book to listen to and learn from.
I a have also been inspired to make a list of jazz records noted in this book to listen to and learn from.
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