Miles Davis | The Collected Artwork
The mind of an artist is a playground where creativity runs rampant and often knows no bounds. The unquantifiable amount of ideas and inspirations are often the catalyst to new forms of expression. This was in particular the case for Miles Davis. Easily heralded as one of the most influential musicians of the twenty-first century, Miles creativity was something he wore on his sleeve. I say this both metaphorically and literally as he was famously known to be a man of show stopping fashion and style sensibilities.
In 1980 he took to drawing, sketching, and soon after painting as a means to preoccupy his mind in between creating music. His appetite for art became insatiable and he pursued learning with the same gusto and obsessive diligence he did his music. Prior to his passing in 1991 Miles sat with writer Scott Gutterman to discuss his influences and left behind commentary that accompanies this stunning retrospective of his work.
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I came to acquire this amazing book by simply being in the right place at the right time. Which while we're being honest is the case for the majority of the books in my library. I'd like to think in that way they found me, instead of the reverse.
In the spirit of transparency I was probably late to work that morning. I usually was. Late, for my personal accountability standards but always on time to set up before the store opened (which is the most important...and I've grown since then). Speed walking from Pershing Square; I probably ran in, shouted hey to the guys at the buying counter, gave dap to whoever was on security detail, and threw my bags on my desk as I prepared to lift the gates from the windows. This is where it gets vivid. As I finished with the gates a figure caught my eye. A book displayed on a vertical stand and with its back cover facing me, was a sketch of a female form. She leaned, arms stretched behind her propelling her forward almost as if she were about to take flight. The lights were still off in the Annex but the sunlight allowed me to see written on the back cover "The art of Miles Davis was much like his music; innovative, erotic, provocative, and bold! Extremely prolific in both his compelling artwork and his extraordinary music, he was a genius for the ages." - Lionel Richie.
I'm sure I gasped. I do that often. It's truly a natural and semi dramatic expression that I couldn't turn off if I wanted to. Upon flipping the book over to its front cover I'm sure I actually shrieked with both disbelief and delight. You see, Miles is one of my favorites. "Blue in Green" moved me to tears the first time I heard it. "Bitches Brew" with its soul stirring cover art was often my soundtrack as I traversed through Downtown LA, past the Los Angeles Times building and into Little Tokyo. I wasn't even aware of his artistic pursuits and to have a collection of it in my hands was almost inconceivable. However, here we are.
