Jazz Legend Gets His Own “Way”

June 27, 2014

Jazz Legend Gets His Own “Way”

Jazz trumpeter Miles Dewey Davis, III would have been 88 on Memorial Day May 26, 2014 and to celebrate his extensive and legendary career, hundreds swelled the block of West 77th Street between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue on the Upper West Side for the unveiling of the newly named Miles Davis Way.

The petition to honor his long time residency and memorialize his musical legacy by renaming the block begin several years ago by one time neighbor and jazz fan Shirley Zafirau and was met with swift apposition. After a lengthy battle, however, it was signed into law in December 2013 by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The very warm and sunny day was an added bonus making the occasion that much more pleasant. The event was a collaborative effort steered by Cheryl Davis (daughter), Erin Davis (son) and Vince Willburn, Jr. (nephew) representing the Miles Davis Properties, LLC along with Karen Sundell of marketing giant Rogers and Cowan and Trivents LLC representatives Kay Lucas, Lenny White, James Austin, Jr., Audry De Shone, James Boyce, Stan Smith and Mikol Clark.

As family members humbly gave interviews and offered more insight to the beloved musician, music from Miles’ extensive collection was played in the background heightening nostalgic feelings of jazz fans from all ages and backgrounds that filled the block.

Veteran musicians Jimmy Heath, T. S. Monk (son of Thelonious Monk), Jimmy Cobb, Reggie Lucas and the first female instrumentalist on the Blue Note Jazz label Bobbi Humphrey as well as legendary actors John Amos (Good Times & Roots) and Cicely Tyson (Miles’ ex-wife / Roots) along with U.S. Representative Charles Rangel just to name a few were on hand to pay tribute to the legend.

Tyson said of the celebration "When Miles Davis passed away I received a number of telephone calls," she said. “One was from my teacher and she said to me, 'Do you think he realized how much he was loved?' And I said, 'I don’t think so.' Well, today there is evidence of how much he was and is still loved. I’m just sure he’d say, 'Why'd it take you all so long?' This is Miles Davis Way. It has always been Miles Davis Way.”

“Miles Davis was a man with a lot of pride and a whole lot of creativity in his music and his style – hence the name Miles Davis Way – and he did have his way,” chimed saxophonist Jimmy Heath, who played with Davis in 1959. “He knew exactly what he wanted and he was always evolving his music and changing things.”

Family and friends headed to the historic jazz playhouse Minton’s after the unveiling where celebrity event planner Artie Thompson of Bravo’s Chef Roble planned a classy after party to cap the celebration.