Both Chet Baker and Miles Davis played pivotal roles in the founding of Ivy-Style.com. Both were remembered fondly by Charlie Davidson of The Andover Shop when I interviewed him for my 2008 article for Ralph Lauren Magazine entitled “Ivy League Jazz,” which inspired me to found this website. I later ended up writing profiles of each jazz legend for The Rake. Here’s Miles and here’s Chet.
And now here they are with some yuletide fanfare. First up, Chet doing “Silent Night”:
And here’s Miles with a 1962 hepcat’s take on Christmas, complete with animation and cynical lyrics about “all the waste, all the sham, all the haste — and plain ol’ bad taste.” — CC
amazing musician, troubled soul
Blue Xmas gets a big thumbs up from this cat. Nice Shorter solo, even if it could have been one by Coltrane.
But Miles was a cool cat, surely…
Miles Davis talking about “bad taste”…well it takes one to know one.
I saw Davis around 1960 at either Basin St East, or the half note
in New York. Around the same time I saw Woody Allen do stand-up
at one of those venues.
John, if we ever talk, remind me to tell you about working with Miles, and, much to the chagrin of all my NYC jazz cats……I prefer Chet. I believe Claxton published a book with marvelous photos of Chet and more………his Steve McQueen book sits on my coffee table. Cheers~ Merry Christmas.