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Drummers – sometimes they play and they listen. And that little listen takes a speck away from the right tempo.

Miles Davis

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
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
Music is a funny thing when you really come to think about it.
MILES DAVIS

Funny Music Thinking Yourself
Don’t be afraid of mistakes – There are none.
MILES DAVIS

Afraid Inspirational Mistake
You should never be comfortable, man. Being comfortable fouled up a lot of musicians.
MILES DAVIS

Comfortable Musician Ruin Yourself
Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there.
MILES DAVIS

Music Play
You have to practice for a long time before you can learn to sound like yourself.
MILES DAVIS

Learning Practice Sound Time Yourself
Music is the framework around the silence.
MILES DAVIS

Framework Music Perspective Silence
A painting is music you can see and music is a painting you can hear.
MILES DAVIS

Hear Music Painting See Yourself
I always listen to what I can leave out.
MILES DAVIS

Leave Listening Myself
Play what you know and then play above that
MILES DAVIS

Instrument Known Music Play 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
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
When the band plays fast, you play slow; when the band plays slow, you play fast.
MILES DAVIS

Play Slow Speed Yourself
I don’t like to hear someone put down dixieland. Those people who say there’s no music but bop are just stupid; it shows how much they don’t know.
MILES DAVIS

Known Music Myself People Stupidity
White folks always think that you have to have a label on everything – you know what I mean?
MILES DAVIS

Known Label Thinking Yourself

Drummers – sometimes they play and they listen. And that little listen takes a speck away from the right tempo.

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Drummers – sometimes they play and they listen. And that little listen takes a speck away from the right tempo.

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Popular Authors

More Miles Davis Quotes