Miles Davis’ influence on jazz was monumental. As a trumpeter, composer and band leader he was an innovator who covered a lot of ground musically. His best-selling Kind of Blue album set the standard for modal music, and he pioneered the “cool school” with his Birth of the Cool. His collaborations with arranger Gil Evans produced classics such as Sketches of Spain. With a group of young musicians and electronic instruments he explored the fusion of jazz, rock and funk in Bitches Brew. He never stopped experimenting. Miles Davis tells his story in his own words, crudely at times but honestly. His personal life was flamboyant, and in this book he talks about drugs, racism, and women, but most of all he talks about the music, his four-plus-decade career and the legendary players who were a part of his life.

Quincy Troupe is a poet, journalist, and teacher. His essays and articles are widely published, and in 1980 he won the American Book award for poetry. He is the editor of James Baldwin: The Legacy and is a professor at the College of Staten Island and at Columbia University.