About this item
When the renowned trumpeter and bandleader Miles Davis chose the members of his quintet in 1955, he passed over well-known, respected saxophonists such as Sonny Rollins to pick out the young, still untested John Coltrane. What might have seemed like a minor decision at the time would instead set the course not just for each of their careers but for jazz itself. Clawing at the Limits of Cool is the first book to focus on Davis and Coltrane’s musical interaction and its historical context, on the ways they influenced each other and the tremendous impact they’ve had on culture since then. It chronicles the drama of their collaboration, from their initial historic partnership to the interlude of their breakup, during which each man made tremendous progress toward his personal artistic goals.
About the Author
Farah Jasmine Griffin is a professor of English and comparative literature and African American Studies at Columbia University, where she has served as director of the Institute for Research in African American studies. In addition to editing several collections of letters and essays she is the author of (Oxford, 1995) , (Free Press, 2001) and (Thomas Dunne, 2008) . She is also the editor of (Knopf, 1999) co-editor, with Cheryl Fish, of (Beacon, 1998) and co-editor with Brent Edwards and Robert O'Meally of (Columbia University Press, 2004) . Her writing has appeared in , and , and she is also a frequent commentator on WNPR's News & Notes. Farah received her B.A. from Harvard (1985) and Ph. D.from Yale (1992) . Professor Griffin's major fields of interest are American and African American literature, music, history and politics. The recipient of numerous honors and awards for her teaching and scholarship, in 2006-2007 Professor Griffin was a fellow at the New York Public Library Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers.
