Dark Magus

Book excerpt: 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 often concocted through other books written without such intimate access to the man and gets down to the realities of his personality and quirks. Despite being a jazz superstar for decades, Davis was reclusive and deeply distrustful of other people. Dark Magus details Davis's Jekyll-and-Hyde personality, including his prodigious drug use, his misogynistic attitude towards women, his self-centeredness and selfishness, his obsessive chasing of young women, his use of amphetamines during concerts, and his distressing tendency to use violence to get his way or exact revenge for slights real and imagined. Other fascinating details abound, including Davis's relationship with Charlie Parker, his obsession with sports (especially boxing), his likes and dislikes, his personal philosophies, and his often gruelling work with younger musicians.