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| The man in the green shirt: Miles Davis on the iconic 1958 album cover |
Jazz
musician, Miles Davis, slouches on a chair against a copper backdrop. He’s
casual in a pale green button-down shirt and dark trousers, trumpet in hand as
he stares out defiantly. The picture, which appeared in 1958 as the second cover
version for his album ‘Milestones,’ remains one of the most iconic images of
the legendary artist. Tracks like ‘Sid’s Ahead’ and ‘Dr. Jekyll’ may have
caught the attention of fans and critics alike but his self-made cool and
effortless image spoke to yet another group – the fashion pack.
Fiercely
talented, passionate, irreverent and an eternal rebel (he was known to walk out
on his audience with barely an apology), Davis was the whole celebrity package.
Such was his influence that men across the globe tried to emulate his look. “People in London and New York went to men’s stores asking for the green shirt of that color in Miles Davis’ album,” says author, music professor and journalist, John Szwed, who wrote the newly released book ‘Miles Davis: The Jazz Musician as Dandy.’
Such was his influence that men across the globe tried to emulate his look. “People in London and New York went to men’s stores asking for the green shirt of that color in Miles Davis’ album,” says author, music professor and journalist, John Szwed, who wrote the newly released book ‘Miles Davis: The Jazz Musician as Dandy.’
Szwed explains
that a camera filter could have been the simple and practical explanation
behind the pale and unusual shade of green. Button-down with a simple collar, the
shirt is almost unremarkable, yet, Szwed explains, “there was something about
this shirt.”
Indeed, it even
provided the inspiration for an illustrated book by author Richard Williams.
Titled ‘The Man in the Green Shirt,’ it was published in 1993, two years after the
artist’s death. The 150 pictures chronicle the life of the artist starting from
his Bebop years. In the 1940s, he appeared dapper in sleek suits by the Brooks Brothers, a look that defined his aptly named album, ‘Birth of the Cool.’ In
the 1950s, he added his trademark casual country club look complemented by a
pair of Bass penny loafers.
Whatever
Davis played, he played it with passion and intensity. And whatever Davis wore,
he wore it with attitude and grace. With sleeves rolled to the elbows and shirttails
tucked in almost as an afterthought, Davis had the charisma to transform the
simple green shirt into a must-have.
He passed
away at the age of 65 in September 28, 1991 but Davis lives on in the musical
genre that he helped to shape and the fashion trends that he left behind. “Miles
Davis says he changed his music five or six times but it was more six or seven,”
says Szwed about the artist’s continuously evolving style. “He changed the way
music was heard (as well as) the persona that he had built in the process.”
Miles Davis - Sid's Ahead
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