Miles Davis and John Lennon.

[Hardbopjazz]

I didn't even know they hung out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGbkW_Ifc8Y

[xybert]

I feel like i've seen this footage before, is it part of a doco? On face value it's fairly mundane but honestly i found that brief clip to be intensely fascinating! I've never really been able to think of anyone in particular when the question gets asked "if you could go back in time and have lunch with one historical figure, who would you pick." But man, i would love to be able to sit down with Miles and see what it was like to hang out with him, hopefully ask him a few burning questions. It would be mind blowing, mind blowing to shoot hoops with him. I can't even get my head around it, it's just too intense. It's amazing how powerful a human beings aura can be in our minds.

[ejp626]

I feel like i've seen this footage before, is it part of a doco? On face value it's fairly mundane but honestly i found that brief clip to be intensely fascinating! I've never really been able to think of anyone in particular when the question gets asked "if you could go back in time and have lunch with one historical figure, who would you pick." But man, i would love to be able to sit down with Miles and see what it was like to hang out with him, hopefully ask him a few burning questions. It would be mind blowing, mind blowing to shoot hoops with him. I can't even get my head around it, it's just too intense. It's amazing how powerful a human beings aura can be in our minds.

There are quite a few jazz musicians it might be interesting to meet, but I've never once had any interest in hanging out with Miles... Give me Coltrane or Eric Dolphy any day.

[Rooster_Ties]

Gil Evans always struck me as someone who would have been interesting to have had dinner with.

[colinmce]

I wouldn't want to be within a mile of MD myself.

FWIW Lennon loathed jazz.

[xybert]

I'm sure Miles and i would get on like a house on fire!

[Leeway]

Sure, I'd like to hang with Miles. I'm sure he'd have some great stories, high and low as they say. But with one caveat: he'd have to be in one of his sunnier moods. Miles in a bad mood would not be much fun.

While we're at it, I'd really appreciate talking with John Lennon, someone I'd always found very interesting (funny and inspiring too), warts and all. I'd be alright jumping into that video with Miles and Lennon and maybe sinking a few good shots.

The reality is, I think, that if you want to know what a musician has to say, listen to his or her records (Charlie Parker said that). If you want to know what an author has to say, read the books. If you want to know what a painter sees, look at the paintings. In their art they can be immortal; in their person, well, it might be a mixed bag.

[Adam]

I've seen footage from a party at the home of Lennon's lawyer (drawing a blank). A lot of folks were there, including Yoko Ono, Andy Warhol. Jonas Mekas, and Shirley Clarke. Clarke was filming with an early Sony b&w video portapak; Jonas was filming with super8mm I think, maybe 16mm.

I don't know if this film is from that, though. The editing makes it look like it could be Jonas's film, but I don't see any of the other trappings of that party that I remember. The YouTube link does say "Recorded from a John Lennon's party where Miles was a guest."

[Adam]

More information obtained from an expert:

"Yes this sequence, slightly distorted (parts are slowed down and repeated), has been culled from Jonas' film "Happy Birthday to John." It was shot June 12, 1971 at Allen Klein's party for John and Yoko. Shot on Jonas' 16mm Bolex. Some of the footage also appears in his "Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol: Friendships and Intersections" though not specifically these scenes where Warhol does not appear.
...This was posted without Jonas' permission, so it may disappear soon!"

[l p]

it's from this dvd

"The Sixties Quartet" dvd of four 8mm films by Jonas Mekas

includes:

film "Happy Birthday to John", which includes

8mm footage of miles at j. lennon party, nyc? 6-12-71 5-minutes

edited to remove unneeded info.

Edited December 2, 2014 by l p

[Utevsky]

I didn't even know they hung out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGbkW_Ifc8Y

This is no longer available on YouTube for copyright reasons. -- I vote with the folks who think they would NOT have liked to hang out with Miles Davis. As far as I can tell, he is reputed to have been a complete asshole. Which has nothing to do with the quality of his music.

[gmonahan]

Miles was not exactly renowned for his sociability. If I were going to sit down and *talk* to a musician, I'd want somebody who might be witty and fun to talk to, like Paul Desmond. If we're talking about going back in time to *hear* music, the choice is simple--the legendary battle of the bands between Chick Webb and Count Basie at the Savoy!

gregmo

[Gheorghe]

Naturally I never had a chance to talk to Miles. But I have heard, that he was not always rude to people. Sometimes he enjoyed talking, if it was not about the usual questions. More non musical stuff, cars, women, fashion, style, stuff like that.

[Brad]

Would have liked to hang out with Dizzy, but definitely not Miles.