Press Conference today, 4pm at BB’s Jazz Blues and Soups
Downtown St. Louis
St. Louis, May 26, 2011 – This is to inform you that the Miles Davis Festival and Miles Davis Properties, LLC, joins St. Louis, New York and Los Angeles in celebrating Miles Davis’ 85th birthday today, May 26th. The St. Louis press conference and Bouillabaisse (Mile’s signature dish) birthday party is being held in collaboration with BBs Jazz, Blues and Soups, Nu-Art Series’ Metropolitan Gallery, The Sheldon, the Grand Marias Golf Course in Illinois, and jazz station 88.1 WSIE.
This intimate press conference is to celebrate Miles Davis’ development in the St. Louis region that enabled him to embrace and achieve the status of World recognition. There will be a Q and A on the schedule of events for St. Louis and a discussion of Worldwide happenings such as the August 1st opening of the “We Want Miles” Exhibit in Brazil. Meet Festival Producers and a new “Young Lions” Miles Ahead Quartet led by Krendrick Smith to kickoff the 85th birthday celebrations.
For the success of this event, which will impact the economic growth of St. Louis and surrounding communities, all levels of the media are welcome.
The St. Louis Miles Davis Festival will feature year-long events including a summer concert series at BB’s Jazz Blues and Soups, Nu-Art Series Metropolitan Gallery and the Grand Marias Golf Course in Centreville, Illinois. In addition, The Sheldon will present a Premier event in honor of Miles Davis in September.
Two unique Sony/Legacy Photo Art Exhibits of Miles Davis and “Friends of Miles” will be on display at Nu-Art Series Gallery and The Sheldon. Register to win a “Genius of Miles” Martin Trumpet Case which includes the complete body of work recorded for Columbia Records in eight deluxe box sets (documenting every important phase of Miles’ musical life).
Throughout the year, we will explore all the fascinating prisms of Miles Davis thru art, panel discussions, music and even golf. Miles changed the music industry at least five times in his career.
Listen to WSIE 88.1 for more details and check your local newspaper for schedule of events.
When Dr. Robert Archibald, Director of the Missouri History Museum, launched the very first Miles Davis Exhibit (Miles: A Retrospective) for the 75th birthday in 2001, it was phenomenal, to say the least. Little did he know that the Exhibit would travel the World. Since then, the Exhibit has travelled to Paris and Montreal. Beginning August 1, 2011, WE WANT MILES will be presented in two major cultural institutions in Brazil. The Rio de Janeiro Exhibit opens August 1st, then moves to Sao Paulo in October thru January 25th. The Exhibit will also visit San Francisco, Los Angeles (LACMA), and Italy over the next few years.
The best thing about the Miles Davis Exhibit is – as it travels it parallels Miles Davis’ life… it gets bigger and better because each city adds their own Miles memorabilia.
Since the St. Louis Exhibit and Festival for Miles’ 75th birthday in 2001, Miles Davis has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 2008, the world celebrated the 50th anniversary of KIND OF BLUE (the #1 album sold in the history of jazz… still) and in 2010, we enjoyed the 40th birthday of the jazz/rock Masterpiece BITCHES BREW. In 2012, Doo-Bop – the jazz/hip-hop compilation – will enjoy its 20th birthday.
The Miles Davis Festival is here to support the Miles Davis Foundation, whose mission is to supply instruments and teach music to middle schools in East St. Louis, Illinois. Stan Johnson, former ESL Assumption High School graduate has taken the foundation to a whole new level with his signature programs in collaboration with Jazz St. Louis.
Festival Producer Deborah Granger produced the first Miles Davis Festival in East St. Louis, in an unprecedented event that featured Vincent Wilburn, Jr., Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ahmad Jamal, Clark Terry, Phil Perry, and Quincy Troupe, along with the Lincoln High School Alumni – grammy nominee Russell Gunn with Russell Gunn, Montez Coleman, Tony Suggs, and Erika Johnson.
We hope you can come out and support the 85th birthday – at the home of Miles Davis – St. Louis.