NEWS & PHOTO TIP FOR MONDAY, MAY 26, 2014:
“Don’t Play What’s There, Play What’s Not There” – Miles Davis
NYC BLOCK PARTY CELEBRATES OFFICIAL UNVEILING OF “MILES DAVIS WAY” ON 77TH STREET ON THE BIRTHDAY OF MILES DAVIS
WHO: Cheryl Davis (daughter of Miles), Erin Davis (son of Miles) and Vince Wilburn, Jr. (nephew of Miles), representing Miles Davis Properties, LLC and special guests.
WHAT: NYC Block Party to celebrate official unveiling of “Miles Davis Way” on the birthday of globally renowned musician Miles Davis, a major cultural innovator and originator, who changed the course of music five times. Mayor Bloomberg signed a bill to rename West 77th Street between Riverside Drive and West End Ave as “Miles Davis Way” in recognition of the legendary trumpeter, who has become synonymous with New York City. The Far West 77th Street Block Association is sponsoring the event to honor and memorialize the iconic genius’s long tenure on the street, which included regular interaction with the community.
Jazz legends such as Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey and Tony Williams (who rented an apartment in Miles’ building) used to drop by the neighborhood all the time. The West 77th Street location is where Davis created the music for such celebrated albums as Kind of Blue and Bitches Brew.
Vince Wilburn, Jr., nephew of Miles, also joined the rehearsals there and played drums on five Davis albums including Man With The Horn.
“It’s a great honor for my uncle,” says Wilburn Jr., adding “The family is very excited about Miles Davis Way and thanks the community for all of their support.”
Fans and well-wishers can show their support by getting the tweet out @milesdavis and including #MilesDavisWay in their posts, and by leaving comments at Facebook.com/MilesDavis. For updated news, please visit the official Miles Davis website at www.projects.45press.com/milesdavis.com.
WHERE: 312 77th Street (between Riverside Drive & West End Ave)
Free & Open to the Public
WHEN: 12 NOON – 2:00 P.M.
12:30 p.m. Official Unveiling
Onsite Interview availability and photo opportunities with RSVP
COMMENTS: Davis has long been noted for his restless artistic aesthetic, which played into his changing the course of music five times, his continued status as a fashion icon, and his globally recognized artworks, which most recently have been featured in Paris, Brazil, Montreal and Napa to outstanding acclaim.
A quintessential Renaissance Man, Davis continues to break records as the U.S. Postal Service’s most successful and fastest-selling iconic stamp in recent years, with more than 23 million sold to date.
The spotlight currently is on Miles Davis with the recent announcement of his biopic going into production this June, starring Don Cheadle, Ewan McGregor and Zoe Saldana.
In conjunction with the official unveiling of Miles Davis Way, Rock Paper Photo in collaboration with the Miles Davis Estate, will release an exclusive line of artwork on May 20, featuring the legendary musician. The line will include rare and iconic limited-edition photographs; fine art reproductions of paintings and drawings by the artist; and graphic designs inspired by the imagery and typography of classic Miles Davis album art, available in contemporary materials such as brushed aluminum and premium wood. For more information, please visit http://www.rockpaperphoto.com/miles-davis
MILES AT THE FILLMORE – Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3 – a critically acclaimed 4-CD box set is also now available, presenting four nights of historic performances at legendary Fillmore East in New York, in their complete form for the first time. Additionally, over two hours of previously unissued music, including bonus tracks that were recorded at Fillmore West.