Move over, Beethoven Book

Miles Davis, a great American jazz musician, traveled to New York as a teenager in search of Charlie Parker, nicknamed “Bird”. Bird was considered to be the jazz master. This book is a story of what *might* have happened when Miles first came to New York. Miles, with his horn in hand, travels the streets, hearing the Bird might be playing in different places, such as the New Café and Triple Doors. Inspired by Bird’s music, Miles continues to play as he goes from place to place. Finally, Miles is able to meet his hero at the Three Dueces. Being ready allows him to play for the Bird, and then play a solo on the stage for an audience.

I enjoyed this book. I like the fact that Mr. Burleigh can take a character in history and focus on a particular moment, and can look beyond what is written and add to the story. He uses great figurative language and even has a few interspersions of jazz language and syllables. Watercolors is the medium and compliments the story nicely.