Miles Davis
William Ellis • 14 June 2021
Behind every photograph is a story - the people, the circumstances, the setbacks and successes are all part of the picture.
Miles Davis, Apollo, Manchester, April 1989
From an interview by Jan Veldman of print/web magazine Jazz In Europe
Jan: "In your portfolio there is a classic photo of Miles Davis. Is there a back story here?"
William: "There certainly is! My big break was photographing Miles Davis in Manchester in 1989. I was working in the photographic industry while at the same time freelancing in music photography. When I found out that Miles was coming to the UK, I tried all my contacts to get accreditation - newspapers, magazines, TV but of course, their staff photographers all wanted any available photo passes to shoot Miles.
Eventually I managed to track down the promoter. I really don’t remember how, there was no internet then of course. I called him and I pretty much begged for a pass and eventually he agreed and left a pass at the box office. Hand written on it was permission to shoot for the first three pieces. I turned up covered in Nikons, my Hasselblad and enough film to shoot “Gone with the Wind”.
So there I am, five feet away from a genius. Miles did his trick of walking to the edge .
The set I produced that night ended up being the passport for me to shoot almost anywhere I wanted to. The next year (1990), Miles returned to play at Glasgow Jazz Festival. I actually spoke to him on the phone which was kind of unreal. Amazingly he ended up signing one of my pictures. Later the same year I photographed another legend - Dizzy Gillespie in Glasgow."
From an interview by Jan Veldman of print/web magazine Jazz In Europe
Jan: "In your portfolio there is a classic photo of Miles Davis. Is there a back story here?"
William: "There certainly is! My big break was photographing Miles Davis in Manchester in 1989. I was working in the photographic industry while at the same time freelancing in music photography. When I found out that Miles was coming to the UK, I tried all my contacts to get accreditation - newspapers, magazines, TV but of course, their staff photographers all wanted any available photo passes to shoot Miles.
Eventually I managed to track down the promoter. I really don’t remember how, there was no internet then of course. I called him and I pretty much begged for a pass and eventually he agreed and left a pass at the box office. Hand written on it was permission to shoot for the first three pieces. I turned up covered in Nikons, my Hasselblad and enough film to shoot “Gone with the Wind”.
So there I am, five feet away from a genius. Miles did his trick of walking to the edge .
The set I produced that night ended up being the passport for me to shoot almost anywhere I wanted to. The next year (1990), Miles returned to play at Glasgow Jazz Festival. I actually spoke to him on the phone which was kind of unreal. Amazingly he ended up signing one of my pictures. Later the same year I photographed another legend - Dizzy Gillespie in Glasgow."
O ne LP Sessions - 'All Things Vinyl' @Loud & Clear, Edinburgh - Scotland's leading hi-fi specialist
One of the pieces in the exhibition - Dizzy Gillespie at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow, 1990 appearing with The United Nations Jazz Orchestra
Portraits of Michael and Randy Brecker backstage in Glasgow, Scotland