Gil Evans Castles Made of Sound

Hardcover
306 pgs.
Da Capo Press, Publisher
Illustrated

A comprehensive biography of the great jazz composer and bandleader - an unpretentious innovator who did nothing less than change the sound of jazz. It traces the seemingly charmed path this self-taught musician and composer traveled through nearly six decades of music. With rare breadth and clarity, Larry Hicock follows Evans' evolution through swing, bebop, and cool jazz (which Evans helped define); relives his mercurial relationship with Miles Davis; uncovers his lesser known contributions of the 1960s and '70s; and recounts his great final flourish of activities in the 1980s. Featuring a veritable chorus of Evans' family and fellow musicians, and drawing from more than sixty exclusive interviews, this portrait of a quiet innovator and a beloved free spirit restores Gil Evans to his rightful place in jazz history.