Remarkable holograph "letter" from Miles to the Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun. [With:] two original telegrams, first from Miles to Cicely Tyson (dated 19 August 1968), second to Miles from "Joe, Terry and Marcia" (dated March 1971).

DAVIS, Miles.

Edité par New York: [1968]

A propos de cet article

Dashed off in pencil across two leaves of a Shaw Agency expense report, this extraordinary "letter" reflects Miles's infatuation with the woman who was to become his short-lived but vitally important muse, the 23-year-old Betty Mabry. Material of this nature from Davis's hand is rare. "Ahmet Ertegun - Betty is interested in recording for Atlantic and Miles - write or phone if you have $ or time. We know you steal but it's okay. If you have any good Talent, Betty has some songs. [Second leaf:] Say hello to your brother Neshui [Nesuhi] who is probably in Israel vacationing. Please give this your immediate attention because the Xmas Holidays are coming and we don't have any money - " This almost certainly dates from late 1968, following Miles's divorce from Frances Taylor in February of that year. At this time Betty Mabry "seemed to be everywhere in New York in a way that was possible only in the late 1960s. She was quintessentially sixties, all funky chic and an exploding Afro, with talent to burn: she had studied fashion design; written 'Uptown' for the Chambers Brothers on their The Time Has Come album; appeared on the Dating Game TV show and as a model in Ebony, Glamour, Jet, and Seventeen; was co-owner of the Cellar, a club for teenagers in New York City; and was beginning a singing career. She was yet another talented woman in Miles' life, but this time a much younger one and wired into a scene that Miles had witnessed only from afar. Betty knew many of the new black rockers like Sly Stone and Jimi Hendrix, and she introduced Miles to them and a club scene he had never been a part of. She even became his dresser, taking him on shopping trips to flash and funk boutiques in the Village and steering him away from the tailored suits that he so proudly wore" (John Szwed, So What: The Life of Miles Davis, 2002). As Miles himself put it: "If Betty were singing today she'd be something like Madonna; something like Prince, only as a woman. She was just ahead of her time. The marriage only lasted about a year, but that year was full of new things and surprises and helped point the way I was to go, both in my music and, in some ways, my lifestyle" (Miles: The Autobiography, Simon & Schuster, 1989, p. 290). In this hurriedly written and terse note Miles seems to be under the impression that the Ertegun brothers, of Turkish and Muslim heritage, were Jewish. Although Miles was never with Atlantic he clearly believed that Mabry's career would be best served by them. In '68 she recorded some demo tapes under Teo Macero at Columbia's 52nd Street Studios but these failed to secure an album deal with either Columbia or Atlantic. Her first album, Betty Davis, was issued on the Just Sunshine label in 1973. Ahmet Ertegun (1923-2006) has been described as "one of the most significant figures in the modern recording industry", whose record label, Atlantic, "was at the forefront of great independent labels that sprang up in the late Forties, challenging the primacy of the major labels of the time (RCA, Columbia and Decca) by discovering, developing and nurturing new talent. Under the guiding hand of Ertegun - the son of a career diplomat and a lifelong jazz and blues aficionado - Atlantic became the nation's premier rhythm & blues label in a few short years" (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, retrieved 1 November 2019). A highly unusual document that offers a fascinating glimpse into the restless mind of one of 20th-century music's most fascinating figures. 2 leaves, quarto (280 x 215 mm), Shaw Artists Corporation "Expense Report" forms. 2 Western Union telegrams (details available on request). Letter with staple holes top left otherwise in excellent condition; second telegram with "coffee cup" stain otherwise both excellent.

N° de réf. du vendeur 136378

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Remarkable holograph "letter" from Miles to the Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun. [With:] two original telegrams, first from Miles to Cicely Tyson (dated 19 August 1968), second to Miles from "Joe, Terry and Marcia" (dated March 1971).
• Éditeur: New York: [1968]