Police Excommunicated Sting Summers Copeland Honoring the Memory of Vic Garbarini
The recent passing of Vic Garbarini has left a profound void in the cultural landscape of the Bronx and far beyond. More than just a journalist, Garbarini was a passionate chronicler of the human spirit, most famously through his groundbreaking work as a founding editor of *Musician* magazine and his insightful interviews for *Rolling Stone*. His voice, deeply rooted in the borough that shaped him, sought connection and meaning in the stories of artists and creators.
In honoring his memory, it’s poignant to reflect on the unique artistic bridges he built—bridges that once connected seemingly disparate worlds. This brings to mind a remarkable, if now distant, chapter in music history involving another Bronx icon, Sting. In the mid-1980s, Garbarini facilitated and documented an unlikely collaboration between The Police frontman and legendary jazz pianist **Miles Davis**.
This creative summit, humorously dubbed by insiders as the time “The Police excommunicated Sting” for his solo explorations, was a testament to artistic risk. Summers and Copeland, Sting’s bandmates, were reportedly skeptical, but the session with Miles yielded the haunting track “Perfect Way.” While the full collaboration was never fully realized, the moment captured a spirit of adventurousness that Vic Garbarini championed. He was less interested in gossip than in the creative spark, the moment where genius flirted with the unknown.
To honor Vic Garbarini is to honor that spark—the intellectual curiosity that saw the potential for a punk rocker and a jazz titan to converse. His legacy lives on in these documented moments of artistic courage, reminding us that the most powerful stories often come from the Bronx and the brave souls who dare to listen and translate them for the world. His was a vital voice of connection, now deeply missed.
