Book review: A Man Called Adam

In a year, a month and almost a day (tomorrow) when Miles Davis would have been one hundred years old the feeling in the jazz world is that he's not dead but just sleeping and that he, or at least his music, is alive once more.

And not just the music but the man, like his Caucasian counterpart Chet Baker, has been the subject of many books, films and TV documentaries that are interesting if not always accurate. How could they be with such an enigmatic genius as Miles?

A Man Called Adam makes no claim to be in any way related to Miles. Its antihero certainly doesn't bare any resemblance to Louis, Dizzy, Lee Morgan or any other jazz musician of the era and yet the aura of Miles is present throughout the book and, I'm sure the film, which I haven't seen, does likewise.

Paradoxically, Louis Armstrong portrays a Bunk Johnson related character whilst Sammy Davis, Jr. (no relation to Miles) plays the title role.

Film and book were released simultaneously in 1966. The film credited to Joseph E. Levine of Embassy Pictures and the book to Les Pine and Tina Rome was published by Signet Books although Embassy Pictures retained copyright for both.

Benny Carter provided the soundtrack. The book originally cost 5 shillings and I forked out one and nine pence for my second hand copy Probably the same price I'd have paid for a seat in the dog end of my local fleapit to see the film! There's one copy left on Amazon for £28.23 + postage but I'd trawl the charity shops first. Lance