'Round About Midnight: A Portrait of Miles Davis

by Eric Nisenson

From 1975 to 1981 the jazz giant Miles Davis temporarily retired from music. Almost completely reclusive, nobody outside of a very close circle knew what was happening to him. Only one jazz writer was able to get close to him during this time: Eric Nisenson. From 1978 to 1981 Nisenson conducted dozens of interviews with Miles Davis and his associates. The result was 'Round About Midnight, an engaging firsthand account of Miles's fascinating and difficult career. From his recordings with Charlie Parker and the birth of the cool nonet, through the Coltrane quintet, the Gil Evans–arranged masterpieces of the sixties, the landmark Kind of Blue album, the Shorter/Hancock/ Carter/Williams group, and the success of Miles's fusion recordings of the seventies, Miles's personality—contemplative, abruptly defiant, strong, elegant—meshed with his art to form one of the most compelling legends in the history of American music. Whole actively disdaining his audience, he sought to broaden it by incorporating elements of other musics—classical, flamenco, rock, funk—into his uncompromising jazz. This contradictory combination of contempt and a desire for recognition fueled controversy in both his public and private lives, and resulted in Miles’s lengthy self-imposed isolation. Nisenson broke through that isolation, and his biographical portrait is vivid and telling This updated edition features a new preface, new material covering Miles in the eighties, and a new recommended listening section.

Genres: Music, Biography, Jazz

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Lukasz Pruski · Rating 4 out of 5]

"[Keith Jarrett] said that Miles would rather play music that was new and innovative than play older music even if the newer music was far less perfect. For perfection was never Miles's goal. It was the journey itself that his music was about, the process of growing and constantly arriving."

I have to admit that I have never been a fan of Miles Davis's jazz. While I almost immediately fell in love with John Coltrane's music and admire many works by Eric Dolphy and Sun Ra, Miles Davis leaves me quite cold, with the exception of Bitches Brew (but then many listeners would not exactly count that album as jazz) and Sketches of Spain. So when Eric Nisenson, the author of 'Round About Midnight. A Portrait of Miles Davis (1996) writes:

"[Kind of Blue] is one of the most beautiful works of art of this century. I am certain that this piece of music will still be listened to on the day the sun implodes. [...] It is amazing how it continues to stir my soul every time I hear it [...]"

I suspect that something is very wrong with me, with my reception of music. It must be my fault that I do not appreciate Kind of Blue.

Anyway, even if I am unable to share Mr. Nisenson's admiration of Miles Davis's works, I certainly appreciate the book. The author is passionate about the topic and writes very well, which makes this one of the best biographies I have ever read. This is almost as great a read as the Ascension. John Coltrane and His Quest that I have reviewed recently.

Maybe because of my lack of enthusiasm for Miles Davis' main works the early parts of the biography made strongest impression on me. Mr. Nisenson offers fascinating glimpses into Miles Davis' youth: his childhood in a well-to-do black family in East St. Louis, his first break with the Billy Eckstine band, the "apprenticeship" with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, a stint at Juilliard School of Music, and then the times of Birth of the Cool, meeting J.P. Sartre in Paris and an affair with Juliette Gréco.

By mid 1950s, Miles Davis - not even 30 years old - becomes a living legend. He carefully creates his own enigmatic persona: arrogant, opulently dressed, driving a white Ferrari. Miles as the embodiment of Ultimate Hip, the epitome of Ultimate Cool. Then comes the universally acclaimed album Kind of Blue (1959) as well as beautiful Sketches of Spain (to this day I remember how in the early 1980s, on Delaware Street in Berkeley, I listened to that album for the first time). Then the adventures with fusion (to oversimplify: fusion is a cross between jazz and progressive rock) and Bitches Brew with John McLaughlin, Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, and other famous musicians.

About 1975 Miles Davis retires to come back in 1980 for his 10 final years during which he is, unfortunately, mostly cashing on his fame and catering to pop tastes of the then audiences:

"Glamor and money meant everything in this age of Reagan. Miles had always had a heightened awareness of the currents of American life."

That period produced some of the least interesting music I have heard in my life, among others the album You Are Under Arrest, which even the critics consider a catastrophic failure.

To sum up, 'Round About Midnight is a compelling read, well-written and rich in detail. The author even manages to mention how my favorite rock band, Sonic Youth (1980s - 2010s) had been influenced by Miles Davis. Highly recommended!

Four stars.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. This is the third of Eric Nisenson’s books that I have read, and I picked up this book in particular based on my experience with the previous two. I absolutely love his writing style, and as a jazz educator and musician, I naturally find his subject matter fascinating. The first books of his that I read were on John Coltrane’s musical and spiritual journey and the making of Miles Davis’ landmark album Kind of Blue. So naturally when I found out that he wrote a biography of Miles Davis, I immediately purchased a copy from Amazon and began reading it right away. Once again I found myself getting pulled into the stories. His anecdotes are colorful and creative, and the prose flows rather smoothly and organically. I have no qualms with the writing. What frustrated me about this book was Nisenson’s tendency to throw in his personal opinions on aspects of Miles’ life and work, as if his opinions were fact. In the opening chapter Nisenson speaks of himself in the third person when describing how he developed a personal relationship with the dark prince of jazz. This should have tipped me off. It came across as pretentious and was quite off putting. If what he says is fact, then the two were indeed close. However, that alone does not make Nisenson the leading authority on what is and isn’t good about his art. To state an opinion is one thing, but to state it as if it’s fact is another. This happens throughout the book. He even goes so far as to suggest that the Juilliard courses in harmony, composition, and theory were ”far too elementary to be relevant for him.” While these may very well have been Miles’ personal views, they are presented as fact. There is no way that a nineteen year old kid, even if it is Miles Davis, knows everything there is to be taught at the Juilliard Conservatory of Music! This is insulting, arrogant, and offensive. If you’re trying to represent what you believe to be the opinion of your subject, or are stating your own personal opinion, state it as such, but don’t present it as fact if it’s clearly not. Your view of what is or isn’t a great recording, cover art, arrangement, or solo performance is merely an opinion. Please don’t present it as it it were fact. Overall, I did enjoy this book. I particularly enjoyed the discography section at the end (a section in which opinions are welcome). I would not be opposed to reading more of Nisenson’s books in the future, as I generally enjoy his writing. I just hope he doesn’t continue to tell me what I should and shouldn’t like, or undervalue true authorities on the subject. Your knowledge on Miles Davis certainly surpasses most, but you’re not a musician, much less a music educator.

[Bruce Molino · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Round About Midnight: A Portrait of Miles Davis written by Jazz writer, Eric Nisenson knew Miles Davis personnally during a reclusive period for Miles. Many insights and stories about Miles and the jazz world he lived came directly from Miles. Eric displayed an excellent knowledge of jazz music, the great jazz artists and incredible jazz music recorded by Miles and many other jazz greats. Eric's book moves chronologically through Miles youth and early influences in jazz (Parker & Gillespie among others) and forward to Miles establishment as a genius in the art with a great ability to identify and play with the most talented musicians of his day (a list to long to name here). He was an outstanding band leader and provided a musical vision where accompanying musicians could flourish and go on and have great careers beyond their time with Miles Bill Evans and John Coltrane are prime examples). Miles collaborations with such luminaries as Gil Evans led to many inspired jazz albums (eg. Flamenco Sketches and Porgy and Bess). This book is a great read and inspired me to listen to many of the jazz numbers discussed in the book. I highly recommend this book.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nisenson gives some interesting details of Miles' thoughts and attitudes about his music at various points in his career, but rarely gives the reader much insight into Miles as a person. As Nisenson mentions in the preface to this 1992 Da Capo edition, the book makes little to no mention of some of Miles' less admirable personality traits, most notably his violent nature towards his wives, partners, and other women in his life.

Miles was undoubtedly one of the most important composers, musicians and artists of the 20th century, but there was a terrible dark side to him that this book tries (and fails) to skip lightly over. I think it's possible to separate the art from the personality and deeds of the artist, and this book gives a lot of fascinating information about Miles' musical career and his back catalogue, but I still feel a "portrait" of Miles Davis should be more honest and less selective about the man himself.

[Akin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two and a half, really. There is something of a false pretense about the book; the author did have a connection with Davis during the "lost" years, but doesn't have a lot of new material to show for it.

Elsewhere: a solid music-driven bio. Technically sound, places Davis' musical development (and developments) in a sturdy context. A bit star struck, but not hagiographic. (Well, almost not. The author, in this revised edition, apologises for ignoring his principal's more egregious behaviour in the previous edition.) In negotiating the tricky line that distinguishes a scurrilous muck racker from thoughtful bio, the author overcompensates and does not give enough depth to Miles the man. Pity. But still worth looking at if you are curious about the Prince of Darkness.

[Dave Hofer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a decent overview of Miles' career, but now I'm ready to read more specifically about certain periods.

[E-Ratic Wizard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A unique look into a period in Miles life when he had become secluded. Also reads like a career retrospective but Nisenson comes across a bit fanboyish at times.