Reprinted from JazzReview.com
Legendary Jazz trumpeter Miles Davis' pensive look on his album and CD jackets were always interpreted by the media as dark, mysterious and any other adjectives like the aforementioned that you can think about.
But talking to his nephew Vincent Wilburn, Jr. recently, he paints a different picture. "Uncle Miles was very humorous and was not the "prince of darkness" that people perceived him to be. Matter of fact, he hated it when they called him that. He wasn't recluse or dark either. He had an exuberant zest for life," says Wilburn.
And that's exactly what Miles Davis Properties is all about: displaying a side of Miles Davis that people did not know existed and of course, keeping his legacy alive.
Miles Davis was a jazz musician extraordinaire. More than that, Miles Dewey Davis III was a composer, arranger, producer and bandleader, and it helped that he was a snazzy dresser too.
Last year, Miles became the first jazz artist to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
Over his musical career, Miles' music has transcended the musical boundaries and broken age barriers as he embraced and experimented with several genres within the centuries that he was a part of. No wonder he has been aptly referred to as "Mr Cool."
As Miles' 80th birthday rolls around on March 13th, Miles Davis Properties have earmarked a series of events to pay homage to the musical genius. From Miles' clothing to his painting display and CD recordings, Vincent Wilburn Jr. drifted away from his recording studio gig to talk to Jazzreview.com about some of the big plans that would not only take place for Miles' birthday, but to celebrate the 15th anniversary of his death on September 28.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: Vincent, I'm glad that we could finally get the time to do this interview after playing phone tag for a minute. Please define the Miles Davis Properties?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: The Miles Davis Properties consists of myself, my dad Vincent Sr. and Miles' two kids, son Erin and daughter Cheryl Davis. Our goal is to oversee and keep Miles' spirit alive, like his music, and deliver it to the public. We make all decisions concerning Miles Davis.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: A Miles CD entitled "Cool and Collected" was released on September 5. Let's talk a bit about that.
VINCENT WILBURN JR: "Cool and Collected" is a marketing strategy geared to reach a wider audience. It is a series of Miles' music and his career.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: The CD was an interesting mix of traditional and 90's Miles, musically speaking. I heard standards like "Summertime" on there and "'Round Midnight" and all of a sudden, Cyndi Lauper's "Time after Time" and Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" is playing. Why the slight musical deviation for Miles and who selected the songs?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: Sony Music actually picked the songs. Miles never wanted to settle. He was the kind of musician who played and then moved on. We had long talks about it and he never wanted to look back. But then again, that's what you get from creative musicians. They never want to stay locked into one thing.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: That's great. Any other CDs in the works?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: Yes, as a matter of fact, there are two compilations coming out soon. The first one is called "Evolution of the Groove," which would feature artists giving their interpretations of Miles' songs.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: Is it an all-jazz list of artists that were selected?
VINCENT WIlBURN JR: No. Rapper Nas, his father jazz musician Olu Dara, Geri Allen, the African brothers from Youssou N' Dour etc., are all scheduled to guest perform.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: Sounds like a nice affair. When will the CD be released?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: It would be released in June [2007]. There is also another Miles tribute CD in the works, but this one would feature hip-hop musicians collaborating with Miles. The artists will include Q-tip from Tribe Called Quest, Jay-Z, Will I.A.M. from Blackeyed Peas, and Wyclef Jean to name a few.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: I'll love to hear that combination. Any idea on the release date of this CD?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: No, not yet, but it's coming. I'm just waiting for a budget. I am also putting together some of Miles' unreleased material. I've actually gone into the vault and started crying. It seems like he never stopped the tape.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: Any other noteworthy tributes to Miles in the next coming months?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: Yeah. There would be an alumni tour with the musicians who worked with Miles, and since he was a painter, there would also be a live tour of his paintings so that people could see his visual arts. Also, we are collaborating with Trunk Limited to come up with a line of Miles clothing, which would include t-shirts, jackets and hats in time for Spring.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: There's a talk about a Miles Davis movie in the works.
VINCENT WILBURN JR: We've managed to get Golden Globe winning actor Don Cheadle to play Miles the movie. I saw Don the night before last and he was very excited about the movie.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: Don is the perfect person to play Miles. Did you consider others before settling on him?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: No. I specifically wanted Don for the role. I had seen him act in the movie "Rush Hour" and I liked his bone structure and the way he was slim like Miles. I couldn't get him out of my head for the role of Miles.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: And is Don enthused to play Miles? Is he a fan of his as well?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: Yes he is. Don always wanted to play the role of Miles. Right now, he is in trumpet school learning the instrument to master his role. Don is at the eleventh grade on the trumpet. He plans to direct and star in the film.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: And when will the movie be released?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: Late 2007 or 2008.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: The world knew Miles as a great musical, incomparable even. You knew him as your uncle. What was a typical day like in the life of Miles Davis?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: Uncle Miles' mind was always working. A typical day for him would be to change clothing three to four times a day. He loved to cook and loved to look good as well. I remember he would paint and look at TV, but the sound was always kept down. If something interested him on TV, then he would turn it up, but it always remained down. He also loved boxing.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: A good cook huh? What was his favorite dish?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: He would only eat small portions, but loved to cook fish and pasta.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: You know, I too am guilty for thinking that a sense of humor did not exist at all for Miles Davis, but I guess you really can't judge a book by its cove--or rather a CD by its cover. Was he really as funny as you say?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: He was very humorous. I remember his clothing designers who were twins from Africa, but their mom was French, and every time Miles saw them, he called them "same thing." (laughs) One time while performing on stage with his wireless trumpet, he walked across to (jazz bassist) Marcus Miller in an attempt to whisper something in his ear. Marcus leaned over to listen to what Miles was trying to say to him, which he presumed Miles was going to tell him about a chord or something, but Miles really went over to Marcus to ask him "How you like my shoes?” (laughs)
JAZZREVIEW.COM: (Laughter) I would have never thought Miles had it in him.
VINCENT WILBURN JR: Well, every night Miles did something like that. He only let certain people in on that side of him though.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: Finally, what is your greatest memory of Miles.
VINCENT WILBURN JR: That he loved playing music for the people. He just loved creativeness and never lazy (people). If you were to perform with him, he would give you the stage to present yourself. He would let you do your thing and would creatively guide you, "May suggest that you try this one night and something else the other." He never told a musician what to play. He gave them a lot of freedom.
But talking to his nephew Vincent Wilburn, Jr. recently, he paints a different picture. "Uncle Miles was very humorous and was not the "prince of darkness" that people perceived him to be. Matter of fact, he hated it when they called him that. He wasn't recluse or dark either. He had an exuberant zest for life," says Wilburn.
And that's exactly what Miles Davis Properties is all about: displaying a side of Miles Davis that people did not know existed and of course, keeping his legacy alive.
Miles Davis was a jazz musician extraordinaire. More than that, Miles Dewey Davis III was a composer, arranger, producer and bandleader, and it helped that he was a snazzy dresser too.
Last year, Miles became the first jazz artist to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
Over his musical career, Miles' music has transcended the musical boundaries and broken age barriers as he embraced and experimented with several genres within the centuries that he was a part of. No wonder he has been aptly referred to as "Mr Cool."
As Miles' 80th birthday rolls around on March 13th, Miles Davis Properties have earmarked a series of events to pay homage to the musical genius. From Miles' clothing to his painting display and CD recordings, Vincent Wilburn Jr. drifted away from his recording studio gig to talk to Jazzreview.com about some of the big plans that would not only take place for Miles' birthday, but to celebrate the 15th anniversary of his death on September 28.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: Vincent, I'm glad that we could finally get the time to do this interview after playing phone tag for a minute. Please define the Miles Davis Properties?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: The Miles Davis Properties consists of myself, my dad Vincent Sr. and Miles' two kids, son Erin and daughter Cheryl Davis. Our goal is to oversee and keep Miles' spirit alive, like his music, and deliver it to the public. We make all decisions concerning Miles Davis.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: A Miles CD entitled "Cool and Collected" was released on September 5. Let's talk a bit about that.
VINCENT WILBURN JR: "Cool and Collected" is a marketing strategy geared to reach a wider audience. It is a series of Miles' music and his career.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: The CD was an interesting mix of traditional and 90's Miles, musically speaking. I heard standards like "Summertime" on there and "'Round Midnight" and all of a sudden, Cyndi Lauper's "Time after Time" and Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" is playing. Why the slight musical deviation for Miles and who selected the songs?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: Sony Music actually picked the songs. Miles never wanted to settle. He was the kind of musician who played and then moved on. We had long talks about it and he never wanted to look back. But then again, that's what you get from creative musicians. They never want to stay locked into one thing.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: That's great. Any other CDs in the works?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: Yes, as a matter of fact, there are two compilations coming out soon. The first one is called "Evolution of the Groove," which would feature artists giving their interpretations of Miles' songs.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: Is it an all-jazz list of artists that were selected?
VINCENT WIlBURN JR: No. Rapper Nas, his father jazz musician Olu Dara, Geri Allen, the African brothers from Youssou N' Dour etc., are all scheduled to guest perform.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: Sounds like a nice affair. When will the CD be released?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: It would be released in June [2007]. There is also another Miles tribute CD in the works, but this one would feature hip-hop musicians collaborating with Miles. The artists will include Q-tip from Tribe Called Quest, Jay-Z, Will I.A.M. from Blackeyed Peas, and Wyclef Jean to name a few.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: I'll love to hear that combination. Any idea on the release date of this CD?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: No, not yet, but it's coming. I'm just waiting for a budget. I am also putting together some of Miles' unreleased material. I've actually gone into the vault and started crying. It seems like he never stopped the tape.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: Any other noteworthy tributes to Miles in the next coming months?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: Yeah. There would be an alumni tour with the musicians who worked with Miles, and since he was a painter, there would also be a live tour of his paintings so that people could see his visual arts. Also, we are collaborating with Trunk Limited to come up with a line of Miles clothing, which would include t-shirts, jackets and hats in time for Spring.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: There's a talk about a Miles Davis movie in the works.
VINCENT WILBURN JR: We've managed to get Golden Globe winning actor Don Cheadle to play Miles the movie. I saw Don the night before last and he was very excited about the movie.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: Don is the perfect person to play Miles. Did you consider others before settling on him?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: No. I specifically wanted Don for the role. I had seen him act in the movie "Rush Hour" and I liked his bone structure and the way he was slim like Miles. I couldn't get him out of my head for the role of Miles.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: And is Don enthused to play Miles? Is he a fan of his as well?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: Yes he is. Don always wanted to play the role of Miles. Right now, he is in trumpet school learning the instrument to master his role. Don is at the eleventh grade on the trumpet. He plans to direct and star in the film.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: And when will the movie be released?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: Late 2007 or 2008.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: The world knew Miles as a great musical, incomparable even. You knew him as your uncle. What was a typical day like in the life of Miles Davis?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: Uncle Miles' mind was always working. A typical day for him would be to change clothing three to four times a day. He loved to cook and loved to look good as well. I remember he would paint and look at TV, but the sound was always kept down. If something interested him on TV, then he would turn it up, but it always remained down. He also loved boxing.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: A good cook huh? What was his favorite dish?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: He would only eat small portions, but loved to cook fish and pasta.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: You know, I too am guilty for thinking that a sense of humor did not exist at all for Miles Davis, but I guess you really can't judge a book by its cove--or rather a CD by its cover. Was he really as funny as you say?
VINCENT WILBURN JR: He was very humorous. I remember his clothing designers who were twins from Africa, but their mom was French, and every time Miles saw them, he called them "same thing." (laughs) One time while performing on stage with his wireless trumpet, he walked across to (jazz bassist) Marcus Miller in an attempt to whisper something in his ear. Marcus leaned over to listen to what Miles was trying to say to him, which he presumed Miles was going to tell him about a chord or something, but Miles really went over to Marcus to ask him "How you like my shoes?” (laughs)
JAZZREVIEW.COM: (Laughter) I would have never thought Miles had it in him.
VINCENT WILBURN JR: Well, every night Miles did something like that. He only let certain people in on that side of him though.
JAZZREVIEW.COM: Finally, what is your greatest memory of Miles.
VINCENT WILBURN JR: That he loved playing music for the people. He just loved creativeness and never lazy (people). If you were to perform with him, he would give you the stage to present yourself. He would let you do your thing and would creatively guide you, "May suggest that you try this one night and something else the other." He never told a musician what to play. He gave them a lot of freedom.
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