3 Shades of Blue

[Kaplan] has written the definitive book on how that decade came to be and the three men . . . vital, marshalling with a light touch countless snippets of material * * Sunday Times * *
Kaplan evokes a pivotal moment in modern music . . . Entertaining * * Financial Times * *
3 Shades Of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans And The Lost Empire Of Cool [is] an absorbing, deeply musical and sad account of what led up to their collision on Kind Of Blue, and how they proceeded to wreck themselves, at their own speeds, afterwards. Different times, different artistic problems, hard drugs hugely influential on all three of them . . . And yet there was much to learn about writing in it -- NICK HORNBY
A compelling read . . . [Kaplan] knows how to tell a story, and in 3 Shades of Blue he has a good one to tell. Or, rather, three good ones. . . . Kaplan has framed 3 Shades of Blue as both a chronicle of a golden age and a lament for its decline and fall. One doesn't have to accept the decline-and-fall part to acknowledge that he has done a lovely job of evoking the golden age * * New York Times Book Review * *
A superb book . . . [Kaplan is] a master biographer, a dogged researcher and shaper of narrative, and this is his most ambitious book to date * * Los Angeles Times * *
3 Shades of Blue, raises the bar . . . At a time when jazz is re-emergent and viral, seeping into virtually every musical genre (and vice versa), we are fortunate that the author has conjured this hothouse flower of a book - as rarified, intricate and haunting as an orchid * * Vanity Fair * *
A conventionally readable portrait of jazz musicians -- RICHARD WILLIAMS * * Literary Review * *
Kaplan does a wonderful job synthesising sources to produce a compelling narrative history . . . His technical descriptions of the music are accessible and useful * * Wall Street Journal * *
Writing with acumen and lyricism, Kaplan conjures the moods and milieus, breakthroughs and performances, temperaments and drama that generated this endlessly enthralling music * * Booklist (starred review) * *
Throughout this vibrant text, the author captures the time and atmosphere perfectly - the music, the personalities, the fragrant aroma of weed in the air - and he brings us right into the performances . . . A marvelous must-read for jazz fans and anyone interested in this dynamic period of American music * * Kirkus (starred review) * *