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I can hear what I want [people] to play. If you don't hear what you want someone to play, then you can't tell 'em.

Miles Davis

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Miles Davis
Age: 65 †
Born: 1926
Born: May 26
Died: 1991
Died: September 28
Actor
Autobiographer
Bandleader
Composer
Conductor
Film Score Composer
Jazz Musician
Musician
Recording Artist
Songwriter
Television Actor
Alton
Illinois
Miles Dewey Davis III
Miles Dewey Davis
III Davis
Ems
Hear
Tell
Someone
Play
People

More quotes by Miles Davis

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Trane was the perfect saxophonist for Monk's music because of the space that Monk always used. Trane could fill up all that space with all them chords and sounds he was playing then.
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Catch Harry Belafonte. He's got a helluva rhythm section.And so have the Pointer Sisters. And that little guy with Sammy Clayton. He plays the whole show with 40 members.
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If you don't know what to play, play nothing.
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Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself.
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You can't play anything on a horn that Louis Armstrong hasn't played
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A painting is music you can see and music is a painting you can hear.
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When the band plays fast, you play slow when the band plays slow, you play fast.
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You know why I quit playing ballads? Cause I love playing ballads.
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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 keep telling Ron Lorman and them in the control room, It's my band! The reason I have a band is because I can't stand for somebody to tell me what to do.
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The only way a drum machine will get out of beat is for you not to pay your electric bill.
Miles Davis
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If you hit a wrong note, it's the next note that you play that determines if it's good or bad.
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I never thought Jazz was meant to be a museum piece like other dead things once considered artistic.
Miles Davis
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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
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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
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I don't wanna talk about Teo [Macero]. He's a helluva musician, a brilliant musician, but he's just not for me, that's all. I can elaborate on it, but I don't want to do that.
Miles Davis
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In high school I was best in music class on the trumpet, but the prizes went to the boys with blue eyes. I made up my mind to outdo anybody white on my horn.
Miles Davis
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When we edit the music, I always remember, It's my band. Save me a place to play.
Miles Davis
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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
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I really liked Wynton when I first met him. He's still a nice young man, only confused.
Miles Davis