Is it a perfect book? Personally, I would have preferred to read more about Evans' musical techniques, and where they derive from--perhaps in an appendix written by a musical scholar, or even a musician who worked with Evans. And Crease never really considers if Evans prodigious recreational drug use contributed to the apparent lack of ambition of his later years. Also, questions of art and commerce (is it right for a man raising two children in Manhattan to be so selective about work, and only chose projects that met his artistic standards?)
Still, for anybody who has heard the lush orchestral dreamscapes that Evans' built for Miles Davis, or his own experiments in arranging on his solo albums (the most famous of which was the source of Crease's title), Out of the Cool may be the closest they'll come to understanding the man who created them.
Article comments
1 - Mark
Stephanie- not sure if you will get this, but I am the new owner of your old apartment on 37th St, and just received a rather large check in your name. Don't know how else to contact you, but your mail forwarding isn't going to work, considering I bought the place from you 6 years ago. Get back to me at solidwriter2@yahoo.com if you want it.
Thanks,
Mark