[Dixielandjazz] Miles Who?

[Stephen G Barbone]

> Bill Haesler <bhaesler at bigpond.net.au> wrote
>
> Stan Brager wrote [in part]: If you're asking about other favorite  
> trumpet players, how about Bix
>> Beiderbecke, Henry "Red" Allen, Roy Eldridge, Clark Terry, Rex  
>> Stewart, Ruby
>> Braff and Miles Davis.
>
> Dear Stan,
> Miles who?
> Just kidding.
> 8>)
> Well almost.
> He is not represented in my collection, apart from the 'Kind Of  
> Blue' album, that I acquired out of curiosity.
> I played it once.
> Very kind regards,


Miles Davis is one of my favorites for many reasons. Both as a trumpet  
player and as a philosopher. Here are some quotes of his:


ABOUT ARMSTRONG - “You can’t play nothing on modern trumpet that  
doesn’t come from him, not even modern shit. I can’t even remember a  
time when he sounded bad playing the trumpet. Never. Not even one  
time. He had great feeling up in his playing and he always played on  
the beat. I just loved the way he played and sang."



ABOUT DIXIELAND - “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.”



ABOUT WHY HE HIRED WHITE MUSICIANS - “I don’t care if a dude is purple  
with green breath as long as he can swing.”



ABOUT JAZZ - “I never thought that the music called “jazz” was ever  
meant to reach just a small group of people, or become a museum thing  
locked under glass like all the other dead things that were once  
considered artistic.



ABOUT DOING IT - “Nothing is out of the question for me. I’m always  
thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up in the  
morning and see the light…Then I’m grateful.”



ABOUT IMPROVISATION - “Do not fear mistakes. There are none.”



ABOUT SITTING IN - “If you got up on the bandstand at Minton’s and  
couldn’t play, you were not only going to be embarrassed by the people  
ignoring you or booing you, you might get your ass kicked.”


ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK ABOUT HIM - "So What" or “I still got my  
Ferrari.”

No doubt, an interesting man who changed the way jazz was played more  
than anyone else on the planet. And a guy who would always tell it  
like it is.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband