A block on New York City’s Upper West Side where Miles Davis composed some of jazz’s greatest works has been renamed in his honor.
Yesterday (May 26), hundreds came out for the unveiling ceremony of a street sign titled “Miles Davis Way,” officially marking a stretch of 77th Street between Riverside and West End. For nearly 25 years, up until the mid-1980s, the legendary jazz trumpeter lived in an apartment building at 312 West 77th Street.
Yesterday would have been Davis’ 88th birthday. He died in 1991 at the age of 65.
The campaign was led by Shirley Zafirau, a former neighbor of Davis who still lives on the block. According to Zafirau, Davis often hung out on the stoop outside his apartment, greeting those who passed by and even leading jam sessions.
“He interacted with the community on the street,” Zafirau tells the New York Times. “He really liked being there.”
Thanks to Zafirau’s efforts, outgoing New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg signed a bill renaming the street into law last December.
