You are not logged in.
#1 2022-03-27 11:50:21
- AFS
- Member
- Posts: 2740
Mingus Does The 'Whitehall' Look
Forget Monk's hats and bamboo frames just for a moment. Forget Gillespie's hepcat look. I was much taken with the notion of Charles Mingus returning from a visit to London dressed like a city gent, complete with horn-rimmed spectacles and bowler hat. It reminds us that not all modern jazz musicians wore 'Ivy League' - at least not all the time. Just look at John Lewis (no, the other one, not AUSs favourite shop), dressed in his conservative business suit - a look to be seen in 'Jazz On A Summer's Day'. I'd love to know what type of shoes those cats were sporting. I'd guess some sensible black or brown lace-up.
There must be a book on this in the offing - the cat who didn't wear high-waisted slacks or loafers.
#2 2022-03-28 03:28:55
- Yuca
- Member
- Posts: 8568
Re: Mingus Does The 'Whitehall' Look
The majority - indeed probably the vast majority - of jazz musicians in the ivy boom years period did not wear ivy. A minority wore some ivy. As for pure ivy wearers, there are hardly any. Cal Tjader. Maybe Horace Silver. I can't think of any others.
Last edited by Yuca (2022-03-28 03:30:38)
some sort of banal legitimacy
#3 2022-03-28 03:29:57
- Yuca
- Member
- Posts: 8568
Re: Mingus Does The 'Whitehall' Look
And once it got to the late 1960s I doubt there were any jazz musicians wearing any ivy.
some sort of banal legitimacy
#4 2022-03-28 03:36:43
- AFS
- Member
- Posts: 2740
Re: Mingus Does The 'Whitehall' Look
Studying the photographs, you see some pretty odd and mixed looks - on Chet Baker for example.
I was amused that Mingus went the whole hog, even down to the leather briefcase.
I read recently that Ivy dressing was pretty much a West Coast look during the 1950s. Maybe, maybe not. An examination of 'California Cool' again reveals a mixture of looks.
#5 2022-03-28 03:38:32
- Yuca
- Member
- Posts: 8568
Re: Mingus Does The 'Whitehall' Look
'I read recently that Ivy dressing was pretty much a West Coast look during the 1950s.'
Who on earth claimed that? I always thought ivy was massive in NY and other Eastern cities by the 2nd half of the 50s.
some sort of banal legitimacy
#6 2022-03-28 03:48:54
- AFS
- Member
- Posts: 2740
Re: Mingus Does The 'Whitehall' Look
Roy Carr in 'A Century Of Jazz'. I'm not sure quite when in the 50s he was referring to.
#7 2022-03-28 03:51:45
- AFS
- Member
- Posts: 2740
Re: Mingus Does The 'Whitehall' Look
I did say 'hmm' under my breath when I read it.