“His father was a very affluent dentist who had an office right here on this street,” master of ceremonies Jim Killion said. “Who would’ve thought that 90 years later we would be honoring his son as one of the most important musicians of the twentieth century?”
Hundreds gathered two weeks ago to witness the unveiling of the bronze sculpture of Miles Davis in downtown Alton – in the heart of the River Bend city’s entertainment district.
The entire block at Third and Belle was closed to accommodate the crowd that came to see the sculpture by Preston Jackson and to celebrate Davis’ incomparable contributions to American music as composer, bandleader and trumpeter.
Davis only spent a year in Alton before the family packed up and moved to East St. Louis, but Alton now has the distinction of being the only city in the United States to have a sculpture in his honor.
“It is just incredible that this committee was able to do this and tell the world that the Alton, Godfrey, Wood River area is recognizing one of the greatest musicians ever to be produced in the United States,” said Illinois state Senator Bill Haine, who bought Davis’ pivotal LP ‘Kind Of Blue in 1959.
“Jazz as an art form is unique to America. This is America. He is on the Mount Rushmore of composers and musicians.”
According to Miles Davis Memorial Project co-chair Pat Ackman, the idea came from Tom Ragland – who was also responsible for the Miles Davis postage stamp – and her son David Ackman.
“David asked why there were statues for Robert Wadlow and Elijah P. Lovejoy and nothing for one of the most influential musicians in the world,” Ackman said. “He said, ‘After all he was born right here in Alton, Illinois.’”
The two-year journey to realize this idea was culminated with a full day of performances, including a jazz set featuring internationally renowned trumpeter Bobby Shew and Montez Coleman.
“It’s impossible to escape Miles Davis in music,” Shew said. “Some people have tried, but he ultimately influenced rock and roll and everything else.”
Molded by Miles
Decades before the professor emeritus of sculpture at the Art Institute of Chicago ever thought of becoming a visual artist, Davis’ music ignited the spark in Preston Jackson that changed the course of his creativity.
“The first time I heard ‘Kind of Blue’ it affected me deeply,” Jackson said. “I began to try to paint the music – to paint the sounds of Miles. What really struck me was the complexity of the music, the haunting chords and structures and new sound of the trumpet that came because of him.”
His shoulders jumped and his head moved in a way that suggested he got caught up in his musical memories.
“That’s when I took out my pen and pencils and other media, and I painted the album. I treated him realistically and treated him rather ‘van Gogh-ish’,” Jackson said. “I borrowed from the Cubist artists and German Expressionists and attempted to use these elemental tools in representing Miles.”
The image of Davis he was inspired to create appears to be from the late 1960s or early 1970s. Striations pop from his triceps and biceps as he mashes down on his trumpet keys. In a loose-fitting muscle shirt and bell bottoms, this was a Miles who had stepped outside of cool and jumped right into funky.
“I wanted to present Miles in his most famous pose,” Jackson said. “The body itself is just an extension of what the horn looks like – a curved metal shape ending with the blast all the way up through the body. I wanted to capture that.”
