Dark Magus: The Jekyll and Hyde Life of Miles Davis

by Gregory Davis, Les Sussman, Clark Terry (Foreword)

(Book). Dark Magus is a warts-and-all look at the real Miles Davis. As told by his son, this book strips away the public perception of Davis and gets down to the realities of his personality, his relationships, and his many quirks. Dark Magus details this enigmatic superstar's Jekyll and Hyde behavior: his swings between sobriety and prodigious drug use; his tender family moments and his destructive selfishness; his search for marital stability and his obsession with young women; his exalted musical talent and his ever-present personal demons. The author also delves into Davis' relationships with artists such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane, as well as his role as a mentor to young musicians, his obsession with sports, the ups and downs of his career, and the family's turmoil over his final will. "This book is a brilliant and engaging revelation of Miles' character through the recollections of his oldest son. It's a book about a legendary musician who was one of my closest friends, and a book that's second to none." Clark Terry

Genres: Biography, Music

208 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2006

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gregory Davis is the son of Miles Davis. In his book "Dark Magus: The Jekyll and Hyde Life of Miles Davis" he gives us an inside look at the darker side of Miles, the heroine and cocaine addiction., his uneven temper, leaving the reader with the thought that , It's not easy being and artist and famous.

I believe that Gregory was written out of Miles Davis's will by other members of the family, so there might be some sour grapes in paradise.

[Chris Craddock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is by Gregory Davis and gives an interesting look at Miles as a father. He is kind of a Dr Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde, kicking heroin only to become hooked on cocaine in later years. Gregory, his son, was his bodyguard, but other family members saw him as a co-dependent, or an enabler. They conspired to cut him out of the will, and the book is somewhat marred by bitterness. Still, it gives you a closer look at a true musical genius.

[Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look at the jazz great by his son. fairly balanced book.

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I absolutely love jazz, but I'm the first to admit that it is not for everyone. I've always advised the jazz novice to begin with Miles Davis, due to the fact that he both excelled at and helped create so many types of jazz that he offers something for everyone. It's just a matter of finding a way in, but if you want to read something to help you try and understand Mile Davis, then unfortunately Dark Magus is not that book. I found my copy in a pretty cool op-shop in Melbourne, it has a great cover and when I opened it the couple of paragraphs I read convinced me to spend all of five dollars to gain access to a family member's thoughts about the great man himself. Gregory Davis is Miles Davis's oldest son and as such he spent a great deal of time with him as his PA, bodyguard and general dogsbody. In the introduction Gregory promises "...not just another chronicle of his life and career..." and also that there are "...no sour grapes to this book..." He then proceeds to give a fairly chronological account of Miles family, his childhood and early years developing his jazz career. To be fair it does contain quite a bit of information that only a close family member would know, which is mostly interesting. As for the sour grapes, well, Gregory does go on to talk about being cut of the will (which is rightly something to be upset about), so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt there. Apart from the first six chapters, which covers Miles early years, most of the book does jump around in time and features chapters named after either albums or songs, such as Quiet Nights and Miles Ahead. Miles Davis had a career that was so multifaceted, influential and successful you'd think there would be no end of amazing anecdotes and obscure facts to bring to light. Well, they are there, but are buried within repetitious accounts of Miles moods, his impulsiveness, his women, his drugs and his apparent Jekyll and Hyde duel nature.

I can’t help but feel that Dark Magus is marred by Gregory Davis’s inherent closeness to his subject. It's not a book about Miles the music-maker, rather it is about Miles the moody patriarch. What is missing is some kind of insight into his music-making impulses. Miles seemed to be able to make the intangible tangible in his music, channelling something authentic from within to create some incredible music, perhaps the greatest in jazz, period. Another problem is that there’s not much in the way of revealing insights into his relationships with key musical colleagues, there’s Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie early on and Clark Terry (Bebop trumpeter) writes the foreword, but what about the likes of Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul and Herbie Hancock? Possibly Gregory was not privy to such musical relationships, despite being his eldest son (born in 1945), PA, bodyguard, whilst living with Miles on and off for years. It’s a shame, but I would not recommend Dark Magus to anyone interested in his music. It’s as much Gregory’s story as it is Miles, and that’s fair enough, but Dark Magus seems like a wasted opportunity. Also the quality of writing in Dark Magus is subpar at best and could have done with some judicious editing to improve the constant repetition and the banal style. For insights into Miles Davis the man, it's best to look elsewhere, such as Miles Davis: The Definitive Biography, by Ian Carr (1999), or perhaps Miles: The Autobiography, with Quincey Troupe (1990), which I haven't read, but Miles apparently over-uses the word 'motherfucker' a great deal, which sounds promising to me!

[Heather Boaz ( mlleboaz.bibliophile) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I was incredibly disappointed in the writing--so much so that I found if distracting. It is true that some charming and otherwise unheard anecdotes are related, but there is a lot of repetition, circling back and excuses. I felt a lot of it was an apology and defense of whatever the author felt happened between him and his father. Not the best insight into the artist that was Miles.