Top Miles Davis Quotes - Quotesmemo.com

Miles Davis Biography

Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music. Davis adopted a variety of musical directions in his five-decade career which kept him at the forefront of a number of major stylistic developments in jazz.

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Miles Davis Quotes

The thing to judge in any jazz artist is, does the man project and does he have ideas.

Artist, Judge, Men, Music, Thing

I think every Negro over fifty should get a medal for putting up with all that crap.

Fifty, Medal, Putting, Should, Think, Thinking

First you imitate, then you innovate.

Firsts, Imitate, Innovate

It's not about standing still and becoming safe. If anybody wants to keep creating they have to be about change.

Acting, Change, Creating, Safe

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.

Day, Jazz, Selling, Told, Uncles

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.

Boys, Eye, Eyes, High, School

Do not be afraid of errors. There are no errors.

Afraid, Errors

Japanese people they hear my warmin' up and they start screamin'. They can tell it's me. It's my tone on the trumpet, it sounds like I'm speakin'.

Hear, People, Sound, Tone, Trumpet, Warmin

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.

Beat, Drummer, Half, Shuffle, Usually, Writing

I don't pay no attention to what critics say about me, the good or the bad. The toughest critic I got is myself. . . and I'm too vain to play anything I think is bad.

Attention, Bad, Play, Think, Thinking

You can't eat a winner's plaque.

Eat, Funny, Humor, Plaque, Winner

Bebop didn't have the humanity of Duke Ellington. It didn't have that recognizable thing. Bird and Diz were great, fantastic, challenging -- but that weren't sweet.

Bird, Challenges, Challenging, Ellington, Fantastic, Sweet

At least one day out of the year all musicans should just put their instruments down, and give thanks to Duke Ellington.

Down, Give, Giving, Instruments, One Day, Years

You know why I quit playing ballads? Cause I love playing ballads.

Ballads, Cause, Causes, Jazz, Music, Quit

It's a different ballgame now, so that lets [teo] Macero out. He's always complainin', always sick.

Ballgame, Complainin, Different, Sick

If you hit a wrong note, it's the next note that you play that determines if it's good or bad.

Bad, Hit, Next, Notes, Play

If you're not nervous then you're not paying attention.

Attention, Nervous, Pay Attention, Paying

I began to realize that some of the things Ornette Coleman had said about things being played three or fours ways, independently of each other, were true because Bach had also composed that way.

Coleman, Music, Realize, Three, Way, Ways

The melody is French. But that's the end of the record. I named it "Jean Pierre Then There Were None," you know, because of the big explosion. You'll like it. It's a nice album.

Albums, Named, Nice, Pierre, Records

It takes you years to learn how to play like yourself.

Like You, Play, Takes, Years

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