Born That Way

Miles Davis

 
A new book will be published in the USA on December 7, "Black Ivy: A Revolt in Style". It examines how prominent Black cultural figures (writers, musicians, artists, civil rights activists) purposely adopted an established white Ivy League style, making it cooler by degrees and hipper by association. 

I've just read a a discussion with the author, Jason Jules, in the New York Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/17/style/black-ivy-style-jason-jules.html

He looks at why so many Black men in the arts dressed this way. Was it a desire to be accepted? Was it aspirational? Was it meant as irony?

 
Jules writes Miles Davis was someone who briefly wore a hip-gangster style popular among Black musicians in the '40s before switching his look to establishment Ivy League style. He points out that this was not a particular reach for Davis, who grew up wearing Brooks Brothers. His father was a dental surgeon and his was a socially prominent and well-off family.

I had never thought much about Miles Davis' background and childhood. He just seemed to emerge cool on the scene. His early recordings for Capitol Records must be called the "Birth of the Cool" sessions for a reason. The Miles Davis I first heard recorded the classics, "Milestones" (1958), "Kind of Blue" (1959) and "Sketches of Spain" (1960) looking very much like an insurance salesman.

Did Miles just feel more comfortable dressed as he always had been? I tend to think he did. I doubt Miles Davis needed to prove himself to anyone. Davis himself changed his look radically over time, choosing to embrace his African roots in later years.

He's a great choice as the cover image for "Black Ivy", though I have a feeling whatever Miles Davis wore was his very own statement and one not up for discussion. I sure as hell would never have asked.