Like jazz itself, 3 SHADES OF BLUE has several layers. Part biography, part music history, (large) part substance abuse, with a little music theory thrown in, it spends the most time on trumpeter Miles Davis, with smaller components of sax man John Coltrane and Bill Evans, a white piano genius who found a place in the mostly African-American genre during the era in which the book is set.

Davis, Coltrane and Evans were not just fiendish performers; they were next-level creators. Through many years of gigs both small and large and numerous acquaintances in common, the three finally come together to create what many consider one of the best jazz albums of all time, Kind of Blue.

"Kaplan has impressed us enough to believe that he knows what he’s talking about. And though he may lament 'the lost empire of cool,' fans of that particular space of jazz will always manage a way to find it again."

In some ways, 3 SHADES OF BLUE can be looked at as a sort of cookbook, with the trio (as well as contemporaries Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie, among others) creating the most delicious of musical dishes. We meet scores of “chefs,” almost all of whom seem to be at the top of their class, and many of whom have serious addiction issues. It’s a wonder that some of the greats --- including the three musicians of the title, as well as Charlie Parker --- were able to remain upright long enough to scratch out a tune. Some were incapacitated enough to miss gigs at the very least and wind up in jail at the worst. One chapter lists more than 20 musicians and singers --- Evans among them --- who died way before their time.

Davis was able to get a grip on his substance abuse issues, for the most part. Author James Kaplan depicts him as a complicated man, at once incredibly insecure and narcissistic, especially early in his career when he was looking for acceptance among his musical elders.

In the charming movie That Thing You Do, the main character asks a hotel employee where he could find good jazz. “Oh, you want good jazz? Good jazz?” asks the hotelier. “Let me ask you a question: Who played coronet for Jacques St. Claire on Vital Stats?” The correct answer gets our star access to the area’s top club.

That’s what 3 SHADES OF BLUE reminded me of. Kaplan (no relation to this writer) has obviously done a masterful job of research, but overall the book lacks a certain something. He expects his readers to already possess a fairly thorough knowledge, as he drops names, dates and venues on page after page, often without much in the way of explanation. That might exclude some people who, to paraphrase the saying, don’t know jazz, but they know what they like.

Kaplan, who has written biographies of Frank Sinatra and Irving Berlin, admits that he himself is no expert in the field. Prior to his first meeting with Davis for a Vanity Fair profile in 1989, he realized how little he actually knew about his subject and the art form and was petrified of completing the assignment.

Almost 40 years later, Kaplan has impressed us enough to believe that he knows what he’s talking about. And though he may lament “the lost empire of cool,” fans of that particular space of jazz will always manage a way to find it again.