Americans don’t like any form of art, man. All they like to do is make money. They don’t like me, Sammy Davis, or anybody else. They don’t like nothing. They just like Sammy because he can make ’em a lot of money.
MILES DAVISMy father’s rich, my momma’s good looking. Right? And I can play the Blues. I’ve never suffered and don’t intend to suffer.
More Miles Davis Quotes
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Jazz musicians are so comfortable. The reason they can’t do what we do is because they’re so comfortable doin’ what they do.
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Always look ahead, but never look back.
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I never thought Jazz was meant to be a museum piece like other dead things once considered artistic.
MILES DAVIS -
White folks always think that you have to have a label on everything – you know what I mean?
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It’s not the note you play that’s the wrong note – it’s the note you play afterwards that makes it right or wrong.
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Bebop didn’t have the humanity of Duke Ellington. It didn’t even have that recognizable thing. Bird and Diz were great, fantastic, challenging – but they weren’t sweet.
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The only reason to write a new song is because you’re tired of the old ones.
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I’m always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up every morning… Every day I find something creative to do with my life.
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Play what you know and then play above that
MILES DAVIS -
All my inspiration comes from Ahmad Jamal.
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Some musicians play with their heart, you know what I mean? I don’t know what to tell a person that can’t – if you can’t tell a person what you’re talkin’ about when they’re rushin’ or droppin’ the tempo, you get somebody else.
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I’m out there doing the best that I can, My lip is cut and I’m still playing.
MILES DAVIS -
The way you change and help music is by tryin’ to invent new ways to play.
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It’s not the notes you play, it’s the notes you don’t play.
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Jazz is an Uncle Tom word. They should stop using that word for selling. I told George Wein the other day that he should stop using it.
MILES DAVIS