Sometimes I found myself playing, and turning over to my left, and I would see Miles Davis standing there, looking to see what was happening. I got a call to come down to this recording session. I walked into the studio and saw all of these musicians. Everybody knew it was going to be a monumental session -- it turned out to be Bitches Brew. Most of the songs we'd done were first and second takes. Miles counted off one particular tune. I was playing percussion, and somehow or another it didn't gel. Lenny White and Jack DeJohnette were both playing drums. He counted it off a second time, and it didn't gel. I couldn't take it any longer. I had been practicing this one rhythm that I had gotten from a drummer, and I knew it was perfect for what he was playing. I just kind of just took it upon myself to say, "Miles, I've got this rhythm." He said, [raspy Miles Davis voice] "Well, just go play it." I played it, and he said, [raspy] "Show Jack." It's one of these kinds of rhythms that doesn't require a bunch of technique. An accomplished drummer like DeJohnette probably had no problem doing it, but at that moment it was a little hard to get. He just said, [raspy] "Stay there." So I got a chance to play drums on that." - Don Alias
source: digitalinterviews.com
Showing posts with label Miles Davis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miles Davis. Show all posts
Cassandra Wilson Quotes
"Miles Davis was doing something inherently African, something that has to do with all forms of American music, not just jazz." - Cassandra Wilson
Vince Wilburn Jr. Quotes
"He would have a canvas to paint, and he would have his trumpet and piano, and he would have the tv on with the sound down. He would change clothes, five or six times a day." - Vince Wilburn, Jr. (nephew of Miles Davis, talking about his famous uncle)
East St. Louis commemorates Miles Davis' 84th birthday
On Wednesday, May 26, East St. Louis mayor Alvin L. Parks threw a party to commemorate the 84th birthday of Miles Dewey Davis III, known to most as Miles Davis. The event, which took place in Parks' office, honored the jazz legend and paid tribute to the role the city played during Davis' formative years. He was born in Alton but grew up in East St. Louis, where he attended Lincoln High School and played in its band. Some of Davis' classmates, as well as several generations of East St. Louis citizens, attended the gathering.
Standing before a sheet cake emblazoned with a picture of Bitches Brew-era Miles, Parks welcomed the crowd and commented on the legacy left by Davis, who died in 1991. "Though he is no longer with us in person, we certainly know that his spirit lives with us," Parks said. "One of the reasons that East St. Louis is so strongly known for music is that Miles Davis hails from East St. Louis, Illinois.
"So we say not only happy birthday to Miles Davis today, but thank you, Miles Davis, for putting East St. Louis even further on the map and making this known as a place that you can say, 'We know music, we know arts, we know artistic expression because Miles Davis blew his...
Read More:
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2010-06-02/music/happy-birthday-mayor-alvin-l-parks-commemorates-miles-davis-84th-birthday/
Standing before a sheet cake emblazoned with a picture of Bitches Brew-era Miles, Parks welcomed the crowd and commented on the legacy left by Davis, who died in 1991. "Though he is no longer with us in person, we certainly know that his spirit lives with us," Parks said. "One of the reasons that East St. Louis is so strongly known for music is that Miles Davis hails from East St. Louis, Illinois.
"So we say not only happy birthday to Miles Davis today, but thank you, Miles Davis, for putting East St. Louis even further on the map and making this known as a place that you can say, 'We know music, we know arts, we know artistic expression because Miles Davis blew his...
Read More:
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2010-06-02/music/happy-birthday-mayor-alvin-l-parks-commemorates-miles-davis-84th-birthday/
Dizzy Gillespie Quotes
"Miles got a mysticque about him — plus he's at the top of his profession. And he's got way, way, way more money." - Dizzy Gillespie
Miroslav Vitous Quotes
"Miles Davis had me play and he hired me the following week and after that, everything broke wide open." -Miroslav Vitous
Ken Burns Quotes
"Wynton told us that Miles sold out, just wanted to make more money, just wanted to sell more records. I don't believe that Miles sold out but I'm not in a position to say." - Ken Burns
Herbie Hancock Quotes
"Miles' sessions were not typical of anybody else's sessions. They were totally unique." - Herbie Hancock
Freddie Hubbard Quotes
"When I got started in New York, it wasn't like it is now. If you were different from Miles and Dizzy, it was very difficult to make gigs and make money with your own style." - Freddie Hubbard
Freddie Hubbard Quotes
"Dizzy used to tell me that I am playing too hard. He used to say to not give everything. Miles used to tell me that too." - Freddie Hubbard
Dizzy Gillespie Quotes
"How do I know why Miles walks off the stage? Why don't you ask him? And besides, maybe we'd all like to be like Miles, and just haven't got the guts." - Dizzy Gillespie
Sonny Rollins Quotes
"I miss playing with Miles. I did play with him a little while before he left the planet, but even at that time I longed to maybe do some things together." - Sonny Rollins
Wynton Marsalis Quotes
"I sounded like myself. People be saying I sound like Miles or Clifford Brown." - Wynton Marsalis
Branford Marsalis Quotes
"One of the things that I loved about listening to Miles Davis is that Miles always had an instinct for which musicians were great for what situations. He could always pick a band, and that was the thing that separated him from everybody else." - Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis Quotes
"Jazz fans love Miles and I love him for a myriad of reasons, but the overviews are always too simplistic." -Branford Marsalis
