FRANK: THE VOICE; SINATRA: THE CHAIRMAN; IRVING BERLIN: NEW YORK GENIUS. 3 SHADES OF BLUE: MILES DAVIS JOHN COLTRANE BILL EVANS AND THE LOST EMPIRE OF COOL
Westchester, NY
Joined April 2010
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James Kaplan retweeted
Today, on jazz legend John Coltrane's centennial, @jckaplan shares some intimate words on our Instagram. Kaplan's biography of Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Bill Evans is 3 SHADES OF BLUE.
instagram.com/p/Ddoq_KvDIt8/…
ALT Man holds copy of 3 Shades of Blue by James Kaplan
ALT John Coltrane and Miles Davis (background) in the studio recording Kind of Blue (1959): Credit: Don Hunstein
RIP Jill Sobule, a wise and witty voice stilled too soon. Listen to "When My Ship Comes In" and raise a glass.
James Kaplan retweeted
3 Shades of Blue by @jckaplan really is as good as all the book blurbs claim.
Powerful biographies told through a detailed cultural history, with brutal honesty & real admiration in equal measure.
And Kaplan sure can write. @canongatebooks
James Kaplan retweeted
Today through 04/22, save 50% on the "Sinatra: The Chairman" audiobook by @jckaplan, and @jckaplan audiobooks.com/promotions/pr…
James Kaplan retweeted
The Los Angeles Times calls it a "superb book . . . [Kaplan is] a master biographer, a dogged researcher and shaper of narrative, and this is his most ambitious book to date.” Now available in paperback. 🎺
James Kaplan retweeted
3 Shades of Blue by @jckaplan takes us inside the lives of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans to reveal the making of the iconic album Kind of Blue—a masterpiece that changed jazz forever.
ALT Image description: A paperback of 3 Shades of Blue by James Kaplan rests on a leather couch.
James Kaplan retweeted
@jckaplan’s book 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and the Lost Empire of Cool is without feckin’ doubt the most astonishing book written about music. It’s just so wonderful. It’s meticulously researched, full of humour, grit and guts. I wept and laughed!
James Kaplan retweeted
And now I am upstairs some more books I have really enjoyed this year. The best histories often work towards a seminal moment - in this case, the release of “Kind Of Blue” by Miles Davis. This is exemplary writing by @jckaplan and the birth of cool!
James Kaplan retweeted
@jckaplan: "He (@milesdavis) incorporates much of the quiet he found with #KindofBlue,” but then he picks up electronic instruments. He becomes more and more compromised physically." @revgotcher #Relistenability
@penguinrandom
wpr.org/culture/james-kaplan…
James Kaplan retweeted
🎧 New Ep: #GoldenVoice narrator Dion Graham joins AudioFile’s @mleecobb to discuss his performance of @jckaplan’s biography of jazz greats, 3 SHADES OF BLUE, one of AudioFile’s #BestBiographyAudiobooks and titles of 2024. @PRHAudio bit.ly/AFMpodcast #bestaudiobooks2024
James Kaplan retweeted
‘3 Shades Of Blue’ by @jckaplan is an astonishing biography of three jazz giants, and the best selling jazz album of all time: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans (and of course, ‘Kind Of Blue’)
Hear how he met Miles and began his jazz education on our latest ep!
James Kaplan retweeted
This week we’re thrilled to welcome two brilliant music writers to talk all things jaaaaazz - James Kaplan and Paul Alexander!
Their new books (“3 Shades Of Blue” and “Bitter Crop) are superb, and a must read for any music fan.
Available now wherever you get your podcasts!
James Kaplan retweeted
The publishing industry puts out thousands of books a year, but people pay attention to only a small minority. Here are three titles that warranted more buzz this year: ow.ly/yBaz50Uhxh9 @jckaplan @penguinpress @etruscan_press @allenbratton @unnamedpress 📣
Why so many people hate (what they think is) jazz: washingtonpost.com/books/202…
James Kaplan retweeted
@jckaplan really enjoying this. Impulse buy at my neighborhood local @blackpearlbooks in Austin, TX this week
James Kaplan retweeted
Album of the day. Miles Davis' seminal 1959 album, Kind of Blue was released 65 years ago today. There's a reason this remains a jazz cornerstone as well as a constant mainstay on all-time best album lists. Something magical about it makes it a truly timeless masterpiece that sounds like it could have been made in heaven. What is it about Kind of Blue that makes it so majestic? Could it be the time and place it was recorded? Possibly. The legendary lineup of players—Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, the very underrated Wynton Kelly, and Miles Davis himself? You bet. Could it be the recording's innovative approach to jazz via modes and scales instead of chord changes? Or its classy relaxing, modernist, soulful, cerebral, and impressionistic atmosphere that just causes you to melt right in? Pretty much. A lovely expression of mood, tone, and cool, Kind Of Blue is essential to any scholar of jazz. However, it's also a valuable asset to a music lover who simply wants to listen to something beautiful and exploratory at the same time.
