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First you imitate, then you innovate.

Miles Davis

I never thought Jazz was meant to be a museum piece like other dead things once considered artistic.
MILES DAVIS

Artistic Death Music Pieces
At least one day out of the year all musicans should just put their instruments down, and give thanks to Duke Ellington.
MILES DAVIS

Instrument Musician Oneself Thankful
I’ve always told the musicians in my band to play what they know and then play above that. Because then anything can happen, and that’s where great art and music happens.
MILES DAVIS

Art Greatness Music Play
I used to enjoy all the white bands when I was a kid listening to the radio. But the record companies, they take music and label it – like, they say “rock”. Because the white singers can’t sound like James Brown, they call him “soul”. They’ve been doing that for years. That’s the prejudice crap.
MILES DAVIS

Enjoyment Listening White
The thing to judge in any jazz artist is, does the man project and does he have ideas.
MILES DAVIS

Ideas Judgement Man Project
If you sacrifice your art because of some woman, or some man, or for some color, or for some wealth, you can’t be trusted.
MILES DAVIS

Art Man Sacrifice Trust Woman Yourself
The way you change and help music is by tryin’ to invent new ways to play.
MILES DAVIS

Change Help Music Play Way
To keep creating you have to be about change.
MILES DAVIS

Change Creation Yourself
If you understood everything I say, you’d be me!
MILES DAVIS

Myself Understand Yourself
The only reason to write a new song is because you’re tired of the old ones.
MILES DAVIS

Old Reason Tired Writing Yourself
Always listen for what you can leave out.
MILES DAVIS

Leave Listening Yourself
Music is the framework around the silence.
MILES DAVIS

Framework Music Perspective Silence
You can tell whether a person plays well or not by the way he carries the instrument, whether it means something to him or not.
MILES DAVIS

Instrument Person Play Yourself
Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself.
MILES DAVIS

Be Yourself Musician Play Time
We’re not going to play the blues anymore. Let the white folks play the blues. They got ’em, so they can keep ’em.
MILES DAVIS

Music Play Sadness White
If I hear a song like “Time After Time.” I’m sittin’ there lookin’ at video and Cindy Lauper comes on singin’ this song. I said, “God damnnnnn!”
MILES DAVIS

Goodness Music Myself Time Video

First you imitate, then you innovate.

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First you imitate, then you innovate.

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