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Gil Evans was once described by Miles Davis as "the greatest musician in the world, " yet for decades he remained an industry secret, one of the least publicized revolutionaries in jazz. Behind the scenes, Evans worked with such varied artists as Claude Thornhill, Benny Goodman, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, David Bowie, and even Sting, arranging their music, leading their bands, and generally throwing their stages and studios into momentary disarray. His whimsical and unscripted genius lay at the source of some of the most sophisticated work these musicians ever played or recorded. Best known-and eternally revered-for his collaborations with Miles Davis on Birth of the Cool, Porgy and Bess, and Sketches of Spain, Evans's magic touch (if not always his name) has been on the sheet music of more tunes than his fans might ever imagine.

Now Gil Evans's life and work are critically explored in Castles Made of Sound, an intimate, comprehensive biography of the unparalleled arranger, orchestrator, composer, and bandleader. Beginning with young Evans's first musical interest in Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington in 1927 and ending with the moving tributes given at his New York memorial service in 1988, Castles Made of Sound traces the seemingly charmed path this self-taught musician and composer traveled through nearly six decades of music. Immune to the sirens of ego, drugs, money, fame, and power that so many colleagues succumbed to, Evans comes across vividly as a man whose boundless passion and single-minded focus deliver himinto exciting, uncharted musical territory.

With rare breadth and clarity, Larry Hicock traces Evans's 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's 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.

With eight pages of rare studio and family photographs.