Somebody, my daughter or my wife, gave me a music box for Christmas. It plays "My Funny Valentine" on celeste, you know? So I had Bobby [Irving] just play "Jean Pierre" with the changes on celeste. Miles Davis More Quotes by Miles Davis More Quotes From Miles Davis My ego only needs a good rhythm section Miles Davis rhythm ego needs When kids don't learn about their own heritage in school, they just don't care about school... But you won't see it in the history books unless we get the power to write our own history and tell our story ourselves. Miles Davis writing book school ...people will go for anything they don't understand if it's got enough hype. They want to be hip, want always to be in on the new thing so they don't look unhip. White people are especially like that, particularly when a black person is doing something they don't understand...That's what I thought was happening when Ornette hit town. Miles Davis hype music white 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 eye boys school When the band plays fast, you play slow; when the band plays slow, you play fast. Miles Davis guitar band play You should never be comfortable, man. Being comfortable fouled up a lot of musicians. Miles Davis jazz music men I'll play it first and figure out what it's called later. Miles Davis figures play firsts The way you change and help music is by tryin' to invent new ways to play Miles Davis play helping way 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. Miles Davis play attention thinking 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. Miles Davis guy feet feels 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 band play art Don't play what's there, play what's not there. Miles Davis african-american music play All my inspiration comes from Ahmad Jamal. Miles Davis inspiration If you love them in the morning with their eyes full of crust; if you love them at night with their hair full of rollers, chances are, you're in love. Miles Davis best-love eye morning Always look ahead, but never look back. Miles Davis jazz music looks 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 guy together play A lot of people ask me where music is going today. I think it's going in short phrases. If you listen, anybody with an ear can hear that. Music is always changing. It changes because of the times and the technology that's available, the material that things are made of, like plastic cars instead of steel. So when you hear an accident today it sounds different, not all the metal colliding like it was in the forties and fifties. Musicians pick up sounds and incorporate that into their playing, so the music that they make will be different. Miles Davis technology people thinking I like Stan [Getz], because he has so much patience, the way he plays those melodies - other people can't get nothing out of a song, but he can, which takes a lot of imagination. Miles Davis play song people White folks always think that you have to have a label on everything - you know what I mean? Miles Davis white mean thinking Food makes my mind sluggish. Miles Davis sluggish mind food