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part of W 77th St. in NYC being renamed 'Miles Davis Way'; opening block party happening on Memorial Day

Miles

In honor of the legendary jazz musician, West 77th St. in Manhattan between Riverside Dr. and West End Ave. is being renamed Miles Davis Way and to celebrate there will be a block party this Monday (5/26, aka Memorial Day) from noon to 2 PM which is free and open to the public. The press release reads:

Mayor Bloomberg signed a bill to rename West 77th Street between Riverside Drive and West End Ave as “Miles Davis Way” in recognition of the legendary trumpeter, who has become synonymous with New York City. The Far West 77th Street Block Association is sponsoring the event to honor and memorialize the iconic genius’s long tenure on the street, which included regular interaction with the community.

Jazz legends such as Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey and Tony Williams (who rented an apartment in Miles’ building) used to drop by the neighborhood all the time. The West 77th Street location is where Davis created the music for such celebrated albums as Kind of Blue and Bitches Brew.

Vince Wilburn, Jr., nephew of Miles, also joined the rehearsals there and played drums on five Davis albums including Man With The Horn.

“It’s a great honor for my uncle,” says Wilburn Jr., adding “The family is very excited about Miles Davis Way and thanks the community for all of their support.”

There’s also a new line of Miles Davis artwork and photographs available from Rock Paper Photo and Miles’ new live album, Miles at the Fillmore – Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3 is out now.

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