When musical genius Miles Davis experimented with rock and African music in the late '60s, he alienated many of his fans. However, his electric explorations endured-and their impact on the music world is still being felt today. Based on new information, as well as exclusive, firsthand recollections by over 50 musicians, partners, producers, and artists, Miles Beyond offers hundreds of never-before-revealed facts, insights, and revelations about this remarkable artist. Readers will discover new insights on Davis' working methods, as well as chronological analysis of the music produced from 1967 to 1991-a period that has been both neglected and misunderstood.

Average Customer Review: ( 17 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.

A key aspect of this book is that Tingen conducted fresh interviews with most of Davis' sidemen from his electric period. Thus there are a lot of fresh anecdotes and explanations particularly regarding the music itself. For instance, I've rarely read interviews with Davis' 1973-75 sidemen. Tingen talked in depth to all but one of them. Overall, Tingen explains with unique clarity Davis' gift for bringing his musical concepts to fruition, as well as Miles' ability to inspire his sidepersons to play "above what they know." Interviews with significant non-musical associates--specifically girlfriends--also help to provide as complete a picture as possible of Davis.

If the book has a flaw, it is the degree to which the author's views of Davis' recordings tend to move out of sync with his outstanding analysis of Davis' artistry in general--he leaves the impression that the "electric era" only sporadically lived up to what is in effect the author's own hype. Arguably he clings to some of the paradigms that he praises Davis for breaking (e.g., the overlength of many tracks). I even cringed when Tingen labeled the aesthetically-groundbreaking, politically-charged SUN CITY track "Let Me See Your I.D." (with a brilliant Gil Scott-Heron rap) as "boring funk-disco." And is DOO-BOP really "bubblegum teenage music?" I couldn't resist wondering if the overwrought electric-Miles hater Stanley Crouch hijacked the text in instances such as these.

Tingen claims that that his musical upbringing was on the avant edge of rock. I'm pondering whether or not that background is any more sufficient than that of a mainstream jazz fan to evaluate Davis' 1967-91 recordings. In my mind, to understand this era requires the ability to get swept away--intrinsically and extrinsically--by the deep grooves of the likes of funk legends James Brown, Sly Stone, and George Clinton. Furthermore, I think it requires open ears for such pop superstars like Madonna, Prince, and Michael Jackson (all of whom have drawn positive critical notices), such eclectic visionaries as Joni Mitchell, and also to have a discerning ear for styles that critics abhor (e.g., top-40 pop) as well as favor (reggae, alternative rock). I believe that Davis listened to and had an affinity for most or all of the above...and I am left with the impression that most or all of the above may be relatively alien to Tingen.

Despite these concerns, the bottom line is that the book's benefits FAR outweigh any problematic aspects. Tingen has done a remarkable job at getting "inside" Miles' musical mind. Most of the occasional shortcomings to Tingen's musical analysis are minimized by his often letting the musicians explain what is happening. No matter how well you think you know Miles, you'll know him better after reading this book, even if you find yourself having differences of opinion regarding some of the particulars.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:

Detailed overview of electric MilesFeb 22, 2002

Tingen's great contribution is that he portrays Miles' early electric period as a continuation of the experimentation he was doing with the mid-60s quintet, along with pressure from his record company and his own desire to reach out to a broader audience. However, what he came up with was certainly not "commercial" or a "sellout" as some critics have asserted. Instead it was some of the most beautiful and challenging music of his career. But Tingen is also honest enough to point out that a lot of what Davis recorded after his "return" in 1981 was garbage. By 1985 Davis was just a showman resting on past laurels.

The sessionography and discography are excellent, especially Tingen's analysis of Teo Macero's groundbreaking use of editing. Through interviews with people like Lenny White and Billy Cobham, we get a great glimpse into the way Miles thought about music, the way he ran sessions, how he recorded, and how he interacted with his band - often they were downright afraid of him!

Some minor gripes: I just disagreed with some of his assessments of some Miles tracks over others, but that is a personal thing. The other drawback is Tingen's analysis of Miles' music through Buddhism and other exotic philosophies. Thankfully these are brief, but probably would have drawn some chuckles from the Man himself.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

It's About That TimeNov 13, 2001
By E. Cuddy "leecuddy"
Paul Tingen's excellent new book is an in-depth treatment of Miles's "electric" period from 1967 to 1991. The timing of this publication couldn't have been better as Columbia/Legacy continues to issue/reissue important recordings from this era, including the recent "Live At Fillmore (It's About That Time)" and "The Complete In A Silent Way" box set.

The strength of the book lies in the fact that Tingen evaluates the electric Miles period on its own terms: an approach this much misunderstood and often maligned music truly deserves. Tingen backs up his thorough analysis with new interviews and first-person accounts from band members and other colleagues.

Tingen's book has set a new benchmark in writing on Miles Davis and jazz fusion. "Miles Beyond" offers both the casual listener and the fanatic fan much to learn about the electric years. And like all good music criticism, this book made me return to the source. I've been listening to albums like "Jack Johnson" and "Agharta" with fresh ears. An essential read!

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:

Good ReadingJul 10, 2001
By Scott McFarland
Makes me want to run out and listen to the records all over again ...

The other reviews I've read above describe perfectly what I got out of this book. I got lots of new information and perspective on this important music, garnered from interviews with the band members themselves. They pull no punches in illustrating what a great bandleader Miles was, and what a volatile man he could be. This was mixed in with a certain amount of opinion presented by the author on relative value of pieces or of the way they were edited or presented, which can be ignored. Read Miles' autobiography, read Carr's biography, read this, and listen to the music, that's my advice.

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:

The Dark PrinceSep 13, 2003
By Charles Powell
Anyone reading this is familiar with the arc of Miles Davis' career and tapestry of milestone recordings. Tingen focuses on the least understood of Davis' output, and the final 24 years of the trumpeter's life: his controversial electric period. Through a detailed narrative of Davis's career from 1967 onwards, in-depth interviews with dozens of musicians, friends and family, session notes and a rigorous analysis of his recordings, the author brings this formerly dark and misunderstood period to life and shows its continuity with Davis' earlier work as well as its linkages to the roiling ferment of America in the '60's and '70's. Tingen actually gets under the skin of Davis, illuminating crucial aspects of his working methods, values and approach to music as life that span the trumpeter's entire career. He nails Davis' approach as one of incorporating the new, while integrating it with the styles of the past: "transcend and include"; Miles always WAS a conservative Midwesterner at heart. The author's energy, creativity and intelligence mirror those of his subject. More than a document of some of the most brilliant and forbidding music of the last 35 years-the best book published about one of the giants of 20th Century music.

See all 17 customer reviews on Amazon.com