Of all the books published about Miles Davis, Richard Cook's It's About That Time must surely be one of the most original. It considers in detail all of the trumpeter's recordings (official and unauthorized) and maps their emergence against events in Miles's turbulent life as well as the wider currents in music.

For Cook, fourteen albums in particular are key to understanding the evolution of Davis' work. Each is considered in depth, as is their contribution to Davis' development as instrumentalist, group leader and composer. Cook also turns his gaze on Davis's fellow musicians, who have all too often been ignored or underplayed.

It's About That Time is a comprehensive and rigorous account of the music and times of Miles Davis, which burns off the mythic fog that surrounds this complex and contrary personality. It is an essential companion for anyone wanting to retrace the trumpeter's musical odyssey over four exhilarating decades.

CONTENTS:
Introduction: Hello Miles
Birth of the Cool: 1926-52: Birth of the COol
Steamin': 1952-56: Steamin' With the Miles Davis Quintet
Like Nobody Else: 1956-57: Miles Ahead
Scales and Tones: 1957-58: Porgy and Bess
So What?: 1958-59: Kind of Blue
I'm Going to Hear Miles: 1959-62: In Person Friday Night At the Blackhawk / In Person Saturday Night At the Blackhawk
All the Rockets Taking Off: 1963-66: The Complete Live At the Plugged Nickel
A Fine Madness: 1966-67: Nefertiti
A Portion of the Music Inadvertently Gets Repeated: 1967-69: In A Silent Way
He Didn't Erase Anything: 1969-70: Bitches Brew
Dark, Dark: 1970-75: Agharta
Tais-Toi Some of This!: 1975-85: You're Under Arrest
White, Yellow, Orange, Red...: 1985-88: Aura
They Offered Me A Lot of Money: 1989-91: Live At Montreux
Outro: Goodbye, Miles: 1991

back to previous page