Miles Davis (a.k.a. Miles Davis - Newman's Gym SF)

 

James Joseph (Jim) Marshall

  1936 - 2010 (biography)

1971 /published 1977, this impression signed 1982 

gelatin silver print 

6 1/8 x 9 1/4" image and photopaper size 

ink signed on support mount, lower right 

not stated 

ink titled in lower left; dated '82 after signature; on verso: publishing information stamp reads: 'Copyright 1982 / Photograph by Jim Marshall / 1831 Union Street San Francisco CA 94123 / All Rights Reserved', with an inventory or catalogue number writte 

 

semigloss photopaper 

published 

artist 

23076 

SOLD

This image was taken in 1971 but was not published until 1977, when it was used as an album cover for Prestige Records.

Jim Marshall commented: "Here, Miles is in the ring at Newman's Gym in San Francisco in 1971. Doesn't exist anymore. It was like a sister to a famous gym in New York where pros went that was called Stillman's. At Newman's Gym, Miles used to work out. He used to box with guys, 'Don't hit me in the mouth, I gotta play tonight.'

"I first photographed Miles Davis in 1959, but not too well. I remember after a show in Berkeley, California, a little later around 1960, I went up to him backstage and asked why he had a green trumpet. He shot back at me, 'M----------r, do I ask you why you have a black camera?!' Frightened the s--- outta me for the next five years! After I moved to NY in 1962, I did a couple of covers for Miles, live records on Columbia. I went down the first time he played for Bill Graham at Winterland in San Francisco. I had made him a picture of my John Coltrane photo that I had taken in John's garden. Backstage was crazy. He was surrounded by all the media, press, local TV stations and newspapers ... it was a real big deal. I saw him and said, 'Hey Miles' he sort of grunted and acknowledged my presence. I gave him the print and said, 'This is for you.' 'What is it? I'm busy.' 'It's just something for you.' 'I'm busy,' he says again. I walked away and he opens the package. People are all over him, asking questions, bothering him and trying to get to him, he tells them all to shut the f--- up and leave him alone. He's looking at the print. He loved Coltrane. 'Hey Marshall, did you take this of John? You knew him like that? Why don't you take pictures of me like this?' And I said, 'Why don't you let me?' After that I could do whatever I wanted with him. He had his moods but we were cool. It was trust. If John trusted me, then so did Miles and with trust I got great shots of him."

This excerpt taken from an article written upon Marshall's death, by NPRJazz writer Patrick Jarenwattananon, A Blog Supreme, March 26 2010