I do not remember when I first became enthralled with the music of Miles Davis, but Jackie and Zach were young, so it has to have been about 20-25 years ago—which is wild to me because it seems like I was just discovering the breadth of the Miles Davis library only yesterday. (I am only disappointed that I hadn’t discovered MD while I was in my teens, some thirty-five years ago.)

Jackie and Zach gave me a copy of Quincy Troupe’s book, miles and me, for Christmas. It is a very good, even-handed account of the man. While not delving into and deconstructing the problematic issues surrounding Miles Davis—the flawed individual—for pages and pages, Troupe does outline and go into some depth about Miles Davis, the whole person, without pulling punches—which I appreciate.

I really enjoyed reading about Miles Davis—the musician—the jazz scene, and Troupe’s perspectives on music, race and art in an evolving America. The epilogue, in and of itself, is worth reading, and highly recommended.

However, I recommend the whole thing.