3 Shades of Blue Miles David John Coltrane Bill Evans and the Lost Empire of Cool - James Kaplan

 

It took me longer than usual to read this book. Why? Was it difficult to read? Poorly written? No, no and no! Quite the reverse. It was so well written it had me plundering my CD collection to listen to Kind of Blue and A Love Supreme more than once not to mention some Thelonious Monk. For me this book gave the music an added nuance if that were even possible. 

This is a niche book for jazz lovers, particularly bebop fans and fear not if Davis, Coltrane and Evans aren't necessarily your bag because the whole book reads like a Who's Who of jazz. So you get an insight that goes beyond our titular trio. Dizzy Gillespie, Cannonball Adderly, Max Roach, Chet Baker - I could go on. But I guess it's a volume that might also appeal to music historians keen to see how jazz reached a kind of peak in the fifties and sixties. I suppose, too, sociology buffs might also be interested in the drug culture that seems almost endemic amongst the jazz fraternity. 

Coltrane, Davis and Evans all played on the seminal Davis album Kind of Blue often considered to be the best jazz album ever. This book looks at how those three guys arrived at that place and where they went afterwards. 

Kaplan digs deep and gives us the musicians warts and all. He seems to reach the heart and depth of all three men teasing out what made them all tick. He shows their place amongst their peers and critics. But most importantly he shows their commitment to music and their own creative development. And I defy anyone reading NOT to go scuttling off to listen! 

Books like these can often be quite dry, the passion and enthusiasm for the subject matter paradoxically rendering the narrative narrow and over detailed. But Kaplan doesn't fall into that trap. This book is very readable and the flowing style encourages you to read on. Yes, there's some musical technical language but it isn't hard to understand especially if you have an interest in music form. 

You come away from the book feeling like you've got to know the three players a little better and more significantly you can understand their music a little better. 

I absolutely loved this book and am so grateful to Olivia-Savannah Roach of Canongate Books for sending me a gifted copy.