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Miles Davis

Miles Davis Quotes

Musician

Miles Davis was an influential jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of jazz, with his work spanning a wide range of styles and influencing countless musicians. His career spanned over five decades, and he was known for his innovative approach to music and his collaborations with some of the greatest musicians of his time.

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All Jazz Play Ifs Music Knows I Can Men Sound Mean People Jazz Music Musician Thinking Want Way White Trying Guy Tempo Music Is

Famous Miles Davis Quotes

“I mean, it makes me sick when I see a white man sitting there smiling at me being entertaining, man. When I know what he's gonna do after he gets through. You know, when you see that thing on their face - like: "Entertain me." You know what I mean? Even the black guy that's trying to be white - even he can have that crap on his face.”

Knows Men Trying Mean Faces Guy Black White Audience Sitting Sick Entertaining Crap White Man Black Guys

Author:Miles Davis

“I don't hold it against Dizzy [Gillespie], you know, but if a guy wants to play a certain way, you work towards that. If he stops - he's full of crap, you know. I mean, I wouldn't do it, for no money, or for no place in the white man's world. Not just to make money, because then you don't have anything. You don't have as much money as whoever you're trying to ape; that's making money by being commercial. Then you don't have anything to give the world; so you're not important. You might as well be dead.”

Ifs Knows Men World Way Want Giving Trying Wells Mean Important Play Might Guy Certain White Making Money Crap White Man Apes No Money Dizzy Commercialism

Author:Miles Davis

“I would never try and play like Harry James, because I don't like his tone - for me. It's just white. You know what I mean? He has what we black trumpet players call a white sound. But it's for white music ... I can tell a white trumpet player, just listening to a record. There'll be something he'll do that'll let me know that he's white.”

Knows Trying Mean I Can Play Funny Sound Black White Records Player Listening Let Me Tone Trumpets Just Listen

Author:Miles Davis

“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.”

Years Soul Kids Used Enjoy Sound White Company Records Rocks Listening Band Prejudice Radio Singers Labels Brown Crap Record Companies

Author:Miles Davis

“White folks always think that you have to have a label on everything - you know what I mean?”

Thinking Knows Mean White Folks Labels

Author:Miles Davis

“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.”

Mind Made Eye School White Class Boys High School Blue Prize Horns Trumpets Blue Eyes

Author:Miles Davis

“If somebody told me I only had an hour to live, I'd spend it choking a white man. I'd do it nice and slow.”

Ifs Men Hours White Nice White Man Choke

Author:Miles Davis

“...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.”

People Ifs Want Looks Persons Enough Black White Music Happenings Towns Jazz Hips New Things Jazz Music Hype Black Person

Book:Miles

Source: Miles

“We're not going to play the blues anymore. Let the white folks play the blues. They got 'em, so they can keep 'em.”

Play White Jazz Folks Ems

Author:Miles Davis

“As long as I've been playing, they never say I done anything. They always say that some white guy did it.”

Long Done Guy White Jazz White Guys

Author:Miles Davis

“It's like, how did Columbus discover America when the Indians were already here? What kind of s-- is that, but white people's s--?”

People Kind America White Discovery Columbus

Book:Miles

Source: Miles

About the Author

Born: May 26, 1926
Died: September 28, 1991
Known for: Musician
Quotes: 178

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Books & Sources

MilesRelated source material

Miles, the autobiographyRelated source material

Miles: The AutobiographyRelated source material

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