The American Jazz Museum in Kansas City has received a significant collection of Miles Davis recordings, artifacts and memorabilia. The donation was made by collector Rodman Marymor of San Francisco, and it includes over 1,200 items related to the legendary jazz trumpeter and composer, spanning his entire career and showcasing his immense influence on music and culture.
I don’t play rock, I play Black.
Miles davis
The extensive collection features diverse materials that offer unprecedented insight into Davis’s life and work. To help catalog and contextualize this vast collection, the American Jazz Museum brought in world-renowned Miles Davis expert Enrico Merlin from Italy. An accomplished musician, author, and scholar, Merlin has spent decades studying Davis’s work and impact.
“Miles Davis was not just a trumpet player from Alton, Illinois,” says Merlin. “He was an inventor, a genius, and an incredible leader who transformed the careers of many great musicians.”
Jordan Malhiot, Collections Manager at the American Jazz Museum, expressed excitement about the acquisition.
“Having Enrico here and bringing Rodman Marymor’s collection to Kansas City is incredible,” says Malhiot. “Miles Davis’s connection to music, culture, and society in so many different avenues gives us numerous ways to engage with that history. We’re still kind of learning all of the opportunities we have as an institution to engage with that history and all the people connected to him.”
Securing the Collection
The donation process itself has an interesting backstory. Marymor, a longtime collector and jazz enthusiast, had sought the right home for his collection for some time. He was looking for an institution to preserve the materials and make them accessible to researchers and the public. After considering various universities and conservatories, Marymor found the perfect fit with the American Jazz Museum.
“Per his words, the vibes were right,” Malhiot recalled of Marymor’s visit to the museum in February. This connection and the museum’s commitment to jazz history and education were key factors in securing the donation.
The donated Miles Davis collection features:
- Over 300 magazines and journals
- More than 100 books
- Over 150 original photographs
- 500+ CDs of both official recordings and unreleased live performances
- Cassette tapes and an unopened 8-track tape
- Concert programs and tickets
One standout piece is a 1982 CEBA (Communications Excellence to Black Audiences) Award presented to CBS Records for the production of Davis’s album “Directions.” The award from The World Institute of Black Communications was given for excellence in Black representation in advertising or public relations.
Malhiot and Merlin marveled at the sheer scale of the collection. Merlin noted that the donated recordings—previously released records plus rare and unreleased live recordings—if played back to back, would take over eight days of continuous 24-hour playback to complete.
Merlin’s expertise has been crucial in understanding the full scope of the collection. He noted that the magazines, in particular, offer valuable insights into Davis’s career and public perception.
“You sometimes find a little interview that was forgotten, maybe you have some information about the man, about the music, about certain circumstances,” says Merlin. “For example, I found this quote from Miles [in one of the magazines] that says more about him than many many words, he says ‘I don’t play rock, I play Black.’”
Malhiot says that, as a rule, the museum doesn’t automatically say that a donation will be featured in an exhibition but hints that the public could be seeing some of these items soon.
The American Jazz Museum is exploring a range of possibilities, including exhibitions and educational programs around the collection, aiming to highlight Davis’s significance in jazz history and his broader cultural impact. Merlin suggested several approaches to presenting the collection, including a sound-focused exhibition allowing visitors to explore Davis’s evolving musical style throughout his career. He also proposed mixing chronological and thematic elements to create a comprehensive narrative of Davis’s life and work.
“I hope this collection sparks people’s curiosity,” says Merlin. “Because if you don’t feel something when you hear Miles’ trumpet, your heart is stone.”
