Thank you for this lovely piece. An excerpt, somewhat related, from Wesley Brown's recent novella, "Blue in Green" (written from the perspective of Frances Taylor):
"A photograph of her and Miles was put on the cover of "Porgy and Bess," a shot of the two of them, seated, their faces hidden and little shown of the rest of their bodies. Miles composed the shot. He kept a firm grip on his trumpet, and her two fingers dangled near the valves. Her dress revealed a knee and part of her thigh. This was a first for Frances, to be involved in any aspect of his recordings. And she loved the result - at the time. After he hit her, she saw it differently. His grip around the valves looked like a fist, pulling the trumpet tightly against his stomach. She now noticed how her fingers barely touched the trumpet, showing tentativeness about getting any closer to something so much a part of him. Her presence in the photograph was all about him. She was a prop, an eye-catching teaser. The message was: you are my woman."
Very direct, but I actually received Brown's book (technically speculative fiction) as a long work of music criticism, reading into the unreadable. And there's so much there to analyze.
Beautifully written regarding how the complexities (and brutalities) of Davis’s personal relationships might be reflected in and reconsidered via his public representations.
Great musician, damaged by racial prejudice and his own ego. I owned all his albums but his best were those with Cannonball Adderly and John Coltrane. Milestones, Steamin' etc.
Amazing amount of content on this topic, thanks.
Thank you for this lovely piece. An excerpt, somewhat related, from Wesley Brown's recent novella, "Blue in Green" (written from the perspective of Frances Taylor):
"A photograph of her and Miles was put on the cover of "Porgy and Bess," a shot of the two of them, seated, their faces hidden and little shown of the rest of their bodies. Miles composed the shot. He kept a firm grip on his trumpet, and her two fingers dangled near the valves. Her dress revealed a knee and part of her thigh. This was a first for Frances, to be involved in any aspect of his recordings. And she loved the result - at the time. After he hit her, she saw it differently. His grip around the valves looked like a fist, pulling the trumpet tightly against his stomach. She now noticed how her fingers barely touched the trumpet, showing tentativeness about getting any closer to something so much a part of him. Her presence in the photograph was all about him. She was a prop, an eye-catching teaser. The message was: you are my woman."
Very direct, but I actually received Brown's book (technically speculative fiction) as a long work of music criticism, reading into the unreadable. And there's so much there to analyze.
Beautifully written regarding how the complexities (and brutalities) of Davis’s personal relationships might be reflected in and reconsidered via his public representations.
I’m a subscriber to your site. We may have some common interest in music and more. If so, I’d appreciate a mutual free subscribe. Thanks
Great musician, damaged by racial prejudice and his own ego. I owned all his albums but his best were those with Cannonball Adderly and John Coltrane. Milestones, Steamin' etc.
Saw this on twitter, which prompted me to create a Substack account. Beautifully written, thank you! ☺️🫱🏾🫲🏽
Wonderful analysis