Today, on Miles Davis’ birthday, a section of West 77th Street is being christened Miles Davis Way. The jazz legend made his home there for 25 years.
Davis will always hold a special place here, as it was in the summer of 2008, while on assignment for Ralph Lauren Magazine doing a piece about when Miles wore buttondowns and loafers, that I got the inspiration to continue exploring the past and present of the Ivy League Look by founding this website.
In other Davis news, Don Cheadle’s long-gestating biopic has apparently finally gotten the green light, though alas it won’t be set in the heyday of neither the trumpeter nor the Ivy League Look.
Finally, the image above from an email by Rock Paper Photo, which offers “fine art photography for the pop culture fanatic.” — CC
A good and proper tribute. Miles Davis went from zoot suits to dashikis, but never looked better than when he was wearing clothes from Charlie Davidson’s Andover Shop.I could be said he was instrumental in disseminating and popularizing the style.
Mr. Boyer is correct sartorially. IMO, as his dress style changed(deteriorated), his music went from great modern jazz to third rate rock.
I just read your piece from several years ago about Miles. I don’t think he grew up as a poor kid. His father was a dentist in East St. Louis, across the river from St. Louis, a heavily segregated city back then that may not have allowed blacks to practice denistry. I was born in St. Louis and can remember the black players on the Dodgers not being able to stay in the hotels and were forced to stay across the river in East St. Louis in the late 1940’s, even into the 1950’s.
Miles grew up in this atmosphere and there is no wonder that sometimes he was somewhat militant. Add in the beating by the New York cop because he escorted a blonde white woman to her cab and you realize it even more.
Very nice picture of Miles.