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.
MILES DAVISI’ll play it first and figure out what it’s called later.
More Miles Davis Quotes
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First you imitate, then you innovate.
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My ego only needs a good rhythm section.
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Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself.
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If you don’t know what to play, play nothing.
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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.
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What’s swinging in words? If a guy makes you pat your foot and if you feel it down your back, you don’t have to ask anybody if that’s good music or not. You can always feel it.
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I always listen to what I can leave out.
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Coltrane, you cant play everything at once!
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In Europe, they like everything you do. The mistakes and everything. That’s a little bit too much.
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The way you change and help music is by tryin’ to invent new ways to play.
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Do not be afraid of errors. There are no errors.
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In music, silence is more important than sound.
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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 -
It’s not the notes you play, it’s the notes you don’t play.
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Some day I’m gonna call me up on the phone, so when I answer, I can tell myself to shut up.
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My future starts when I wake up every morning.
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It takes a long time to sound like yourself.
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Always listen for what you can leave out.
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White folks always think that you have to have a label on everything – you know what I mean?
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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.
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You should never be comfortable, man. Being comfortable fouled up a lot of musicians.
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We don’t play to be seen. I’m addicted to music, not audiences.
MILES DAVIS -
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.
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I’m out there doing the best that I can, My lip is cut and I’m still playing.
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You have to know 400 notes that you can play, then pick the right four.
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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