"Brash and brilliant, an icon of cool, Miles Davis (1926-1991) was one of the twentieth century's greatest artists. The East St. Louis trumpeter and bandleader had an enormous impact in jazz with such diverse and classic recordings as The Birth of the Cool, Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain, and Bitches Brew. He inspired artists, writers, and other musicians with his musical daring and mysterious persona.

His music provoked discussion of art versus commerce, the relationship of artist to audience, and the definition of jazz itself. Whether the topic is race, fashion, or gender relations, the cultural debate about Davis's life remains a confluence.".

"Editor Gerald Early and the contributors to Miles Davis and American Culture place Davis in cultural context, from his beginnings along the Mississippi River to his final years as a world-renowned musician. In this collection of a dozen original essays, William Howland Kenney examines jazz in St.

Louis during Davis's formative years; Ingrid Monson analyzes Davis's relationship to the civil rights movement; poet and Davis biographer Quincy Troupe reflects on Davis's musical journey of the 1960s; and Farah Jasmine Griffin views Davis's relationship to women."--BOOK JACKET.