This Miles Davis centennial exhibit features photos even his family had never seen

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Musichead Gallery on Sunset Boulevard is buzzing with excitement on a Wednesday night. Jazz music spills out from the open entrance, where a sharply dressed security guard stands watch. A vintage marquee glows on the sidewalk, announcing the upcoming exhibit, “Miles Davis: A Century of Cool,” which opens on Saturday.

Inside, the gallery’s owner and curator, Sam Milgrom, is ready to reveal his latest exhibition.

I’m really thrilled to finally share some of these photos – there are a few in there I’m incredibly proud of. They capture such important moments in jazz history. Honestly, if you love music at all, you need to see this. It’s a chance to get to know Miles Davis and understand why he was just so unbelievably cool.

The show honors the legendary jazz musician on what would have been his 100th birthday, showcasing photos taken throughout his almost 50-year career. On this night, Davis’s friends, family, and fellow photographers came together at Milgrom’s intimate gallery, which was filled with his photographs displayed in elegant black frames along the walls.

Milgrom developed the exhibition while working closely with the Miles Davis Estate, including Davis’ children, Erin and Cheryl, and his nephew, Vince Wilburn Jr., all of whom are present. This isn’t the first time they’ve partnered; Milgrom previously held a book launch and a special whiskey tasting featuring Davis’ album “Kind of Blue” at the gallery.

I’ve been a jazz fan for decades, and Miles Davis has always been special to me – it all started back in the 70s when I was working in record stores around Detroit. That’s where I first really got into jazz rock, and I remember spinning ‘Bitches Brew’ endlessly. Eventually, I even ran my own shop, Sam’s Jams, and with a little help from Warner Brothers, I was thrilled to be able to promote Davis’ incredible albums there.

Milgrom believes it’s important to remember Davis not just as a name, but as a person of strong character who pursued his own vision and sparked countless musical advancements.

Milgrom finally got to see the musician perform live in August 1981, after his return to touring, and the experience stayed with him. He especially remembers the audience: “Everyone was incredibly well-dressed… the atmosphere was unlike anything I’d ever felt before,” he recalls.

The affection people felt for him, along with their admiration and appreciation for his work, was truly remarkable.

He immediately agreed when Wilburn Jr. asked him in May to create an exhibit celebrating the 100-year anniversary.

Milgrom says she’s been thinking about this for over a year and began actively working on it at the start of the year.

The artwork for the exhibition came from many places. Initially, curator Milgrom used photos from the gallery’s own collection, which features the work of around 100 famous music photographers like Robert Knight, Mick Rock, and William “PoPsie” Randolph. To fully showcase Davis’s life and career, he then expanded the search to include images from other sources.

I really wanted great photos of Miles, so I did some digging. I started by making a list of photographers I already admired – the ones who’d shot the album covers I loved, and others whose work I’d come across over time. It was a way for me to focus my search and find exactly what I was looking for.

Milgrom explains that the estate only provided contact details for those on his list and otherwise didn’t interfere with the selection process. The family didn’t see the chosen photos until the opening event, and this was true for many of the images – a lot of them had never been shown to the public before.

Milgrom explains that being able to review a photographer’s original, unedited work – like proof sheets or all the digital files – is incredibly insightful. ‘It’s a revelation,’ she says, when she has the opportunity to explore the full collection and discover hidden gems.

Photographer Tom Copi, a highlight of the exhibit, made a statement at the event wearing a vibrant, two-piece yellow suit. The 81-year-old explained he wanted his bright outfit to stand out against the more subdued colors worn by others.

In July 1963, Copi first encountered Davis. At just 17 years old, he traveled to New York City from Ann Arbor, Michigan – hitchhiking for nine hours – to see Davis perform at the Village Vanguard. He even followed Davis into the club’s kitchen while the trumpeter was getting a drink of water.

He asked me what I wanted, and I told him I’d hitchhiked all the way just to hear him play and let him know how much people back in Michigan admired him, as I remember it.

The musician didn’t say anything in response, but seemed pleased by the kind act. Later, during the second performance, he invited Copi to sit near the stage and enjoy the music. That was the only conversation Copi ever had with Davis, but he went on to photograph the musician a total of eight times. The exhibition includes photos Copi took of Davis at the 1969 Newport Jazz Festival.

Davis’s son, Erin, arrived at the exhibit opening and took his time greeting people and shaking hands. He was particularly moved by the photos of his father, noting that while he’d seen many pictures of Davis before, this exhibit featured a lot of new and previously unseen images.

Erin finds it fascinating to look at things from the 1950s and 60s, saying it feels like stepping into a different world. She recently discovered a photo of him with Spike Lee that she hadn’t seen before.

He shared that he was living in Malibu at the time and was surprised to hear they were attending Knicks games with Jellybean Benitez. He jokingly wondered if they could go to a Lakers game instead, since they were out in California.

At 55, Erin is the youngest member of the family. He didn’t start working with his father’s music until he was 14, when he began touring with him in 1985. The following year, he moved in with his father.

I’ve definitely contributed to creating stories around artists and their work, like albums and concerts,” Erin admits. “But this artist already has a lot of established narratives that fans hold onto. I saw him simply as he was, without those stories. He combined a down-to-earth Midwestern background with a refined New York sensibility, and he appreciated beautiful Italian cars—he was truly unique.”

Erin recalls that Davis was always creating something at that time. He was constantly busy with art, whether it was performing with his band or painting large canvases – he never just relaxed and did nothing.

Erin explains that he wasn’t the type to relax on vacation. She was focused on understanding him as a father, the leader of his band, and the head of their entire operation.

Erin later took on the responsibility of managing his father’s musical legacy, a job he loves. He’s constantly finding previously unknown recordings from his father’s extensive collection. Interestingly, his father never kept old records at home, making the discoveries even more special.

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2026-05-19 13:33