Miles, of course, was not only a great trumpeter, but helped lay the foundations for bebop, cool jazz and fusion. An outspoken opponent of racism and other injustices, he did not suffer fools gladly; nor was he reticent about voicing his opinions.
The first quote comes from Herb Alpert, bandleader and cofounder of A&M Records, during his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 (I was at the simulcast of that event in Cleveland).
Alpert was breaking in a new trumpet player and he asked Miles to come to the recording studio and help. After a take Miles asked the new trumpeter, "Hey man, you know the notes you were playing?" "Yeah," said the player. "Well," said Miles, "play the other ones."
The second story wads when Miles was rehearsing a tune in the studio, and one of the other, younger musicians was struggling to play it correctly. He made mistake after mistake, ruining take after take. Finally he said to Miles, "What note should I play here?" Miles snapped, "The right one."
If you're looking for a philosophy of life, you could do worse.
No comments:
Post a Comment