Miles

The Autobiography

By: Miles Davis

Narrated by: Dion Graham

Length: 16 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Universally acclaimed as a musical genius, Miles Davis was one of the most important and influential musicians in the world. Here, Miles speaks out about his extraordinary life. Miles: The Autobiography, like Miles himself, holds nothing back. For the first time Miles talks about his five-year silence. He speaks frankly and openly about his drug problem and how he overcame it. He condemns the racism he encountered in the music business and in American society generally. And he discusses the women in his life. But above all, Miles talks about music and musicians, including the legends he has played with over the years: Bird, Dizzy, Monk, Trane, Mingus, and many others. The man who gave us some of the most exciting music of the twentieth century here gives us a compelling and fascinating autobiography.

©1989 Miles Davis. All rights reserved. (P)2012 AudioGo

I loved it!

Absolutely amazing book. Like another reviewer said, it’s like having Miles Davis sitting in your living room chatting with you about music, about life, about the history of black music. Fascinating and informative and educational; also witty and moving and serious. The narrator gets 10 stars for his flawless voicing of Miles’ rhythm and timbre. Very highly recommended!

Entirely amazing

This is one of my all time favorite audiobooks. The story of Miles Davis’s life is so inspiring and interesting.

A man untroubled by his own contradictions

It's hard to give a rating to this book. It's a very frank and open and detailed account of Davis's life. It's also troubling and frustrating. Taken on its own terms, it absolutely succeeds in what it sets out to do. Whether you come out at the end believing that Davis is a suitable subject for a biography is another story. One thing is for sure, this book is never boring.

Actually, compared with a lot of the celebrity memoirs coming out these days, there's no question Miles deserves his say. It's just distressing to see so little evidence of personal growth over the course of his lifetime.

The person who comes across in this book is someone who only ever cared about music, over and above family, friends, relationships, fans, or anything else in this world. If you were looking to find some revelation about why Miles behaved the way he did in front of an audience, it appears that he really didn't care about the audience. He was there to play, and if you were there to listen that was fine, but he wasn't there to entertain you.

As for his contradictions, sometimes I wonder if his ghostwriter (Quincey Troupe) juxtaposed them on purpose or not. Sometimes he says that music is always music, and other times he says that old music is dead. Sometimes he says that women have to be interesting, but the way he describes them suggests the opposite. Sometimes he says that he never cared about what color someone was, but most of the time he expresses a vehement hatred of white people. I have no doubt that he encountered a good deal of racism in his life, but he also seems to have gone out of his way to look for signs of it even when people were simply trying to reach out to him. Again, I have to wonder if Quincey Troupe consciously constructed those episodes to convey that.

I have to say that regardless of how Miles himself comes across, the first half of the book detailing the jazz scene in New York City in the 40s and 50s is absolutely fascinating. This is a first-person account by someone who was there and in the middle of it and connected to everyone who was anyone.

Quincey Troupe did an incredible job of putting this narrative together and making it sound like a monologue Miles could have delivered. Be forewarned that Miles uses a lot of profanity. Dion Graham does a creditable job of imitating Miles's breathy, raspy voice. There were times that I forgot it was not Miles actually speaking this book. However, this also makes it a difficult read if you're in the car or anywhere else with a lot of ambient noise.

Miles Davis Was the Artist Who Drew Me Into Jazz Music

I'm not a musician but have always wanted to be. For whatever reason, mostly lack of ability, I've never been able to learn an instrument. But I love listening to music, all types. At some point a long time ago I was listening to a lot of Grateful Dead - I love the Jerry songs, and realized that it must be very close to Jazz. Knowing very little about Jaxx I started picking up some CDs. And then bam, I bought Steamin and it changed my whole music orientation. I loved that album even though I couldn't explain to anyone what was going on. bIt was the mood that I loved, and his trumpet playing.

I didn't understand that he was such a rebel until I listened to this book. He's so similar to me, seeing rules as suggestions, recipes as something to use as a basis for making something better and thumbing my nose at authority.

I love Miles and even more so now. The whole time I was listening I kept wondering what I would say or ask him if I'd ever had a chance. Alas, I'll never know. Peace.

Interesting man, complex and angry.

His words are harsh on himself and others. As a long time fan, it was a hard listen.

Excellent performance & even better story!

One of the greatest books from one of the greatest men & above all musicians, (& my personal favorite player as a trumpet player myself). Miles is the best, coolest, baddest ass motherf@#&+! out there! Amen

It's like sitting down with Miles.

Great book, perfectly narrated. It really captures Miles' personality. Highly recommended! Especially for jazz fans, I also learned a lot about other jazz greats.

It's better than you think it might be.

...and you would think its gotta be pretty good. Music, culture, race, it's authentic and comprehensive.

the performance is amazing

Miles Davis is an alien and Dion Graham knocked it out of the park with his whisper performance.

A must read!!!

The story captures the essence of Miles and takes the listener on a journey in time. Plus the reader’s ability to sound like Miles really helps the listener create visual images of Miles as he spoke about special times and individuals he encountered throughout his life.