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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

That’s the way women do. The frown. They want to give you the attitude to approach them back, by giving you a negative vibe.
MILES DAVIS

Attitude Negative Vibe Way Woman Yourself
Don’t worry about playing a lot of notes. Just find one pretty one.
MILES DAVIS

Finding Music Notes Oneself Play Worry
For me, music and life are all about style.
MILES DAVIS

Life Music Style
You can’t play anything on a horn that Louis Armstrong hasn’t played.
MILES DAVIS

Horn Instrument Play Yourself
I can’t write anything for myself. I can write when I hear like [John] Coltrane play something; I used to write chords and stuff for him to play in one bar. I can write for other people, but I don’t never write for myself.
MILES DAVIS

Lyrics Music Myself People Play Writing
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
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
In improvisation, there are no mistakes.
MILES DAVIS

Improvisation Mistake Spontaneous
I usually write from the rhythm section…If a drummer got a funky beat on some things – like a half-shuffle or a shuffle or a backbeat that’s even – I can write something.
MILES DAVIS

Myself Rhythm Writing
I’m out there doing the best that I can, My lip is cut and I’m still playing.
MILES DAVIS

Best Lips Myself Play
In music, silence is more important than sound.
MILES DAVIS

Important Music Silence Sound
It took me twenty years study and practice to work up to what I wanted to play in this performance. How can she expect to listen five minutes and understand it?
MILES DAVIS

Expectation Herself Instrument Musician Performance Practice Time Understand
Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself.
MILES DAVIS

Be Yourself Musician Play Time
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.
MILES DAVIS

Challenge Greatness Humanity Recognition Sweet
That was my gift having the ability to put certain guys together that would create a chemistry and then letting them go; letting them play what they knew, and above it.
MILES DAVIS

Ability Chemistry Known Play Togetherness
[Jazz musicians] feel comfortable with their clichés, you know.
MILES DAVIS

Comfortable Feeling Known

We’re not going to play the blues anymore. Let the white folks play the blues. They got ’em, so they can keep ’em.

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We’re not going to play the blues anymore. Let the white folks play the blues. They got ’em, so they can keep ’em.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Miles Davis Quotes