Miles Davis beaten by police and arrested while having a cigarette during a set break outside the club he was performing at.
“Remembering Miles Davis, and remembering the long history of black men being brutalized simply for being. For those don’t know the history, on August 25, 1959–eight days after the release of his “Kind of Blued album—Miles was performing at Birdland, recording an Armed Forces Day broadcast for Voice of America. In between sets he had escorted a friend out and put her in a cab and was relaxing in front on the club having a smoke. A police officer approached him and asked him to move on. Miles pointed to the marquee, explaining to the officer that he was performing inside and that it was his name on the marquee. Still the officer persisted, not caring who he was or what he was doing. While Miles was trying to explain to the police officer that he was making a mistake when a detective, drawn by the crowd that was starting gather, blindsided him and hit him in the head a few times with a billy club, drawing blood. He was then arrested and taken into custody, and after going to the hospital to get his head stitched up was charged with felonious assault on an officer.”
Miles Davis’ Album mentioned in the story Kind Of Blue is widely regarded as one the most important albums in Jazz, even to this day.