A compelling biography ... While the thrill of being a fly on the wall for these historic hours provides the core of Kaplan’s undertaking, the book’s most enlightening passages detail the cosmic coincidences, historic displays of hubris and relentless substance addictions that, for better and worse, defined his subjects’ lives.
A bracing reminder of when jazz represented a widely relevant culture ... Kaplan knows some music theory, enough to conjure the ideas behind specific styles and sounds without getting inaccessible. But mostly, he’s a master biographer, a dogged researcher and shaper of narrative, and this is his most ambitious book to date ... It’s a compulsively readable work of fine synthesis and perspective that draws on others’ previous work and the author’s own interviews.
3 Shades of Blue does not tell any new stories ... But Mr. Kaplan does a wonderful job synthesizing sources to produce a compelling narrative history. His own interviews add a lot as well. His technical descriptions of the music are accessible and useful.
Definitive ... Kaplan has written something broader and equally vital, marshalling with a light touch countless snippets of material to piece together a portrait of these three men and how they tilted jazz on its axis.
If 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool is neither an essential addition to the jazz literature nor quite the sweeping statement its subtitle promises, it’s certainly a compelling read ... This book does not contain much that the serious jazz fan won’t already know. Kaplan does offer enough new material... to hold the interest of even the most jaded I’ve-heard-it-all-before jazzbo, but his book seems primarily aimed at the jazz novice. Moments here, however, are likely to leave the jazz novice feeling lost.
No matter how many times you listen, analyze, and track down all the stories, its depths continue to resound. It is why you are reading the book, and it is why you keep returning to the source.
A compulsively readable book about three jazz legends who came together for one glorious moment to produce one of the best, most influential jazz records ever.
Kaplan seamlessly combines vibrant biography... with insightful music history, all set within a sharply drawn social context ... Writing with acumen and lyricism, Kaplan conjures the moods and milieus, breakthroughs and performances, temperaments and drama that generated this endlessly enthralling music.
Throughout this vibrant text, the author captures the time and atmosphere perfectly... and he brings us right into the performances, unwinding the subtle nuances in the music.
Kaplan overdoes the genius talk, but the book has many moments fans will savor, as when the saxophonist Cannonball Adderley falls asleep during a recording session and Miles chastises him with, 'Don't snore on my solo, bitch.' Fortunately, there's nothing soporific about this groovy book.
