The Art of Miles Davis

[sidewinder]

Was in London yesterday, mainly to check out this exhibition over in Cork Street. It featured around 100 drawings and around a dozen canvases, mainly provided for sale by Jo Gelbart. The canvases are Davis/Gelbart collaborations and include the haunting 'Untitled', completed in the last month before Miles' death and with a real sense of forboding to it. The drawings were mainly produced by Davis between 1981 and 1985 and originally owned I believe by his friend Giulia Trojer, who features along with Miles in quite a few of them.

Some of the content of the drawings was pretty strong and not suitable for family viewing. Miles didn't hold back !

The exhibition was truly fascinating. Especially on the drawings, Miles had quite a delicate style and he seemed especially fascinated at this stage with the human form and dancers in particular.

Some of it is also quite funny. One of the colaborations with Jo Gelbart, in addition to having the word 'love' included on it also manages to sneak in the word 'a**hole' a bit lower down.

The BBC showed I short clip of an interview with Gelbart last week and it can be accessed using Real Player via the following link. Access via 'Open More Audio/Video Clips' on the bottom RHS. Then click 'Entertainment' to bring up the Miles video icon.

BBC clip..

Edited April 10, 2005 by sidewinder

[tonym]

There was an exhibition in the North-East about 5 or 6 years ago featuring what sounds like the same collection. Very diverse stuff but very intense nonetheless. From what I remember his use of colour was quite extreme and jarring, not unlike his early-70s music.

The pencil drawings didn't stay in my memory so I'll have to dig out the accompanying book I got from the show.

At the time, the two guys who were showing his work were a drummer, jazz drummer in his late 50's and a bloke who happened to be from the next village along the hill from me. Small world.

Worth seeing.

[sidewinder]

That would make sense. The exhibition was hosted by Balmain Fine Arts, who are based in the NE. Most of the material though, I believe, was provided by Jo Gelbart.

Edited April 11, 2005 by sidewinder

[tonym]

Just thinking actually what creative capacity Miles must have had. When he put his playing on the back burner at the end of his years he still had the vim to turn out pieces of art, and not just chocolate box painting-by-numbers either.

Makes you wonder if, for instance, Picasso had been any good as a drummer, or Pollock had played sax

[sidewinder]

Yep, you've got to admire it. He was no poser either, took this stuff seriously by all accounts.

I still chuckle thinking about that TV interview he did with Jules Holland where he spent the whole time doodling on his sketch-pad and evading the questions. Priceless !

[tonym]

Never seen that. And I must say it's one image I can't metally envisage; Miles being Miles whilst Jools Holland breaks into another boogie-woogie vamp. Trendy crowd watch on.

[sidewinder]

Some nice pictures of the London exhibition and info about 'The Last Miles' biography here:

Miles Art London Exhibition

[tonym]

Yeah, that's the same guy, Keith Denney, the jazz drummer I mentioned.