Holiday Gift Guide 2012 [ books nother book on Miles Davis? The folks behind Miles Davis: The Complete Illustrated History (Voyageur Press) have come up with two distinct angles. First, of course, there are the photographs. Also included are some big (and not so big) names to write copy to accompany different sections of the book. Among the scribes: Sonny Rollins, Bill Cosby and Herbie Hancock. The names of writer Francis Davis and Davis biographer Ashley Kahn also grace the cover. What we don’t see until we are just inside the book are the names of some of the more notable and prolific photographers whose shots were the putative drivers to this whole endeavor. Archival photos come courtesy of Francis Wolff, William Gottlieb, Bob Willoughby, William “Popsie” Randolph, Lynn Goldsmith “and more.” Needless to say, there are lots of photographs, most of them familiar to those who have read and seen many of the books and articles about Miles Davis. Between the introduction and afterword—including an index—are eight chapters, organized chronologically, beginning with “The Young Artist: 1926–1948” and a nice remembrance from former colleague and friend from Davis’ early years Clark Terry (“There Was A Time”). The book concludes with “Tutu And Farewell: 1986–1991” as well as essays by journalist Greg Tate (“Miles In The 1980s”) and former bandmate, saxophonist Dave Liebman (“Timing”). Of particular interest is a chapter that includes an article by impresario George Wein entitled “Miles, Newport, And The Business Of Jazz.” One chapter, “Kind Of Blue: 1958–1963,” covers years when Davis performed at Wein concerts but also went through various critical business and artistic transitions. At the end of the day, this book pegs its novelty in the Miles Davis canon of books with the words “The Complete Illustrated History.” Indeed, and despite the ambitious shepherding of big names on the textual front, the book ultimately rises or falls on the strength of its photographs (there are some illustrations, including magazine, program, label logos and album covers). Graphically, this 224-page book has the trendy look and feel of a magazine pictorial. No doubt, one could flip through this book and get a speed-dial history of the man, the text supporting the photos instead of the other way around. Rare items include great early studio shots of Davis with Howard McGhee (Davis on piano), Jackie McLean, Stan Getz and Percy Heath (Davis again at the piano). Later, an aerial shot appears from the CBS-TV program Davis filmed with his Kind Of Blue band and Gil Evans’ orchestra. There’s also a shot of Davis’ band with Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette and Chick Corea. There’s the complete photo of the now-famous cover to the album Jack Johnson (and a new U.S. postage stamp) with Gary Bartz. A smattering of rare images of the always stylish Davis from his last stretch during the 1980s and early ’90s closes out what is clearly the flashiest chronicle (thus far) of the Prince of Darkness. —John Ephland teven Roby’s Hendrix On Hendrix: Interviews And Encounters With Jimi Hendrix (Chicago Review Press) takes a page from Chris DeVito’s similarly titled interview book about John Coltrane. Instead of striving to be a comprehensive source of Hendrix interviews (DeVito included every Coltrane interview in existence), Roby presents a curated look at the guitarist’s life through articles in magazines and newspapers; radio and television interviews; and the occasional court transcript. The interviews and articles start in 1966 as Hendrix, a young Seattle transplant, is getting his feet wet in Europe, and end with the last interview he gave before he died in 1970. For a quick reference, Roby also offers a Quotable Hendrix reference section, where the guitarist expounds on everything from money and ambition to relationships. Taken as a whole, the interviews piece together the important details of Hendrix’s life. Roby has been careful to select pieces that rarely backtrack over well-worn material; everything here presents something new. Each interview or article is preceded by a few interesting paragraphs of context. The only other material Roby adds is an insightful interview with Hendrix confidant Eric Burdon. Burdon serves as an interpreter for Hendrix, filling in ideas from the interviews and offering details on the guitarist’s untimely death. Hendrix could provide cryptic, nonsensical answers just as easily as he could open up about his life and dreams and hardships. For these frank interviews, Hendrix tended to show preferential treatment. “It is always a plus if the reporter was a woman and the interview took place in a hotel room or at his flat,” Roby writes in the introduction. In fact, one of the most fascinating interviews—Jane de Mendelssohn’s 1969 chat—happened under exactly these circumstances. Roby has done his homework, composing a thorough, thoughtful look at an enigmatic performer. The book excels in providing a portrait, through Hendrix’s own words and the filter of other journalists, of the guitarist as a lonely musician, beset by hangers-on, trying to deal with fame and success. Countless writers and interviewers in the collection cover Hendrix’s predilection for smashing instruments and generally being violent on stage; in this book, however, Hendrix comes across not as a showman, going through the motions of burning his guitar or wrecking his amplifiers, but as a lost, intensely frustrated musician, trying to make the world hear what exactly he heard in his head. —Jon Ross 74 DOWNBEAT DECEMBER 2012
DECEMBER 2012 DOWNBEAT 75