SMILES OF MILES IN MALIBU. THE CLOSENESS OF THE ENCOUNTER BETWEEN JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHER
SHIGERU UCHIYAMA AND

THE LEGENDARY MILES DAVIS. IN THE MID-EIGHTIES. DRIVING A YELLOW FERRARI. COVERING CYNDI LAUPER

AND MICHAEL JACKSON. LOOKING QUITE A BIT

COOLER THAN ANYONE ON THE PLANET.

Honestly. This book. It's raw in its honesty. You know those classic Blue Note era jazz black and white photo books shot through with cigarette smoke. Well that was then. But this is the eighties. And this is a whole other reality. 
 

Uchiyama's first photographs of Miles do try to evoke the jazz aesthetic. But Miles has a red trumpet and titanium blue Porsche sunglasses and is just asking for colour. 
 

Because. You really do not see many photographs of twentieth century icons like this. And it's still a truly great photograph. By a great photographer, Shigeru Uchiyama. 
 

Inside the bathroom! Like we said... this book, honestly. You could not make it up. The Cyndi Lauper Time After Time cover, btw, is great. 
 

And that. Can not be any better. Really ever. Perfect in subject, place, light and styling. We all aim for something. This photograph reaches it. It's a painting. 
 

And because the book is called Miles Smiles and tbh he doesn't smile that often. So here's one. And in case you are wondering where you can find one of those crochet hats - you are not the only one - see here. 
 

One more moment of magic. What a photo. About this time, in 1985, Miles was interviewed for Spin Magazine. 

“By me having a $60,000 yellow Ferrari, being black and living in a beachfront house in Malibu, the police have already stopped me three times.... It’s just racist. But we black folks know about that. It happens every day to a black person.... Man, ’cause the shit I be wearin’ should tell any fool that I belong in the car!' "

The jumpsuit is forever. 

The book is for now. Try and buy it on the button below.