--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Miles Davis was a master. In every phase…" description: "\"Miles Davis was a master. In every phase of his career, he understood that this music was a tribute to the African muse.\" — Cassandra Wilson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ed/cassandra-wilson-30753_miles_miles-davis-was-a-master-in-every-phase_1459754.png" --- # Miles Davis was a master. In every phase of his career, he… ![“Miles Davis was a master. In every phase of his career, he understood that this music was a tribute to the African muse.” quote by Cassandra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ed/cassandra-wilson-30753_miles_miles-davis-was-a-master-in-every-phase_1459754.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ed/cassandra-wilson-30753_miles_miles-davis-was-a-master-in-every-phase_1459754.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ed/cassandra-wilson-30753_miles_miles-davis-was-a-master-in-every-phase_1459754.png) > “Miles Davis was a master. In every phase of his career, he understood that this music was a tribute to the African muse.” [Cassandra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Davis treated music as a homage to African roots, shaping his evolving style. **In simple terms:** Davis honored African influence throughout his career. Key Takeaway Recognize cultural foundations in art. Themes music heritage evolution Mood reflective appreciative Type analytical historical When to use this quote - studying jazz history - creating culturally aware music - educational curricula Key Concepts African diaspora artistic tribute Questions to Reflect On - How does cultural heritage shape artistic expression? - What other sources inspired Davis? A Different Perspective May overlook other influences on his work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Muse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muse/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Tribute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tribute/) ## Related quotes > [For the most part, 99 percent of jazz is boring; you've heard it before. People aren't doing anything creative that's extremely modern. They tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-glasper/for-the-most-part-99-percent-of-jazz-is-boring-you-ve-heard-it-before/) [Robert Glasper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-glasper/) > [Miles Davis was doing something inherently African, something that has to do with all forms of American music, not just jazz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-wilson/miles-davis-was-doing-something-inherently-african-something-that-has/) [Cassandra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-wilson/) > [I was lucky that I could work with directors like Kamal, Lal Jose and Sibi Malayil. They understood music and gave me a free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vidyasagar/i-was-lucky-that-i-could-work-with-directors-like-kamal-lal-jose-and/) [Vidyasagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vidyasagar/) > [If for one minute you think you're better than a sixteen year old girl in a Green Day t-shirt, you are sorely mistaken. Remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/if-for-one-minute-you-think-you-re-better-than-a-sixteen-year-old/) [Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/) > [Remember the first time you went to a show and saw your favorite band. You wore their shirt, and sang every word. You didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/remember-the-first-time-you-went-to-a-show-and-saw-your-favorite-band/) [Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/) > [If she know how strongly he felt, she'd have run out the door. He wasn't used to the possessive, or the savage joy she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/if-she-know-how-strongly-he-felt-she-d-have-run-out-the-door-he-wasn/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [At an early age, I understood music... the rhyme schemes, melodies and harmonies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-bailey/at-an-early-age-i-understood-music-the-rhyme-schemes-melodies-and/) [Philip Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-bailey/) > [Coming from an artistic family was really helpful because they understood that music is a real job, that I can make money from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lola-young/coming-from-an-artistic-family-was-really-helpful-because-they/) [Lola Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lola-young/) > [Fire sat unbreathing. A life that was an apology for the life of his father: It was a notion she could understand, beyond words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/fire-sat-unbreathing-a-life-that-was-an-apology-for-the-life-of-his/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [I never understood music. It seemed to me to be the maximum amount of noise conveying the minimum amount of information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/i-never-understood-music-it-seemed-to-me-to-be-the-maximum-amount-of/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [No one really understood music unless he was a scientist, her father had declared, and not just a scientist, either, oh, no, only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/no-one-really-understood-music-unless-he-was-a-scientist-her-father/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [I never considered Miles Davis a perfectionist; I always considered him as an excellence-ist, where deviation is actually kind of cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-trotter/i-never-considered-miles-davis-a-perfectionist-i-always-considered/) [Charlie Trotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-trotter/) > [Miles Davis fully embraced possibilities and delved into it. He was criticized heavily from the jazz side. He was supposed to be part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-laswell/miles-davis-fully-embraced-possibilities-and-delved-into-it-he-was/) [Bill Laswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-laswell/) > [Maybe it's wishful thinking, this snaggly faith of mine, or maybe it's Miles Davis saying, Don't play what's there, play what's not there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/maybe-it-s-wishful-thinking-this-snaggly-faith-of-mine-or-maybe-it-s/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Miles Davis himself, I discovered him when I was 15, and he rocked my world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mclaughlin/miles-davis-himself-i-discovered-him-when-i-was-15-and-he-rocked-my/) [John McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mclaughlin/) ## More by Cassandra Wilson > [I was never interested in singing in the church choir or in school. I was more interested in becoming a musician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-wilson/i-was-never-interested-in-singing-in-the-church-choir-or-in-school-i/) [Cassandra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-wilson/) > [I'm always looking for ways to develop as an artist, especially as a jazz artist-to find different ways of testing my voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-wilson/i-m-always-looking-for-ways-to-develop-as-an-artist-especially-as-a/) [Cassandra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-wilson/) > [I've been singing since I was 5 years old. Not in-the-church-thing kind of way. I always made up music. Since I was a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-wilson/i-ve-been-singing-since-i-was-5-years-old-not-in-the-church-thing/) [Cassandra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-wilson/) > [I know you're supposed to set goals for yourself. I see all that motivational stuff on television. Think about the future, what's next! But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-wilson/i-know-you-re-supposed-to-set-goals-for-yourself-i-see-all-that/) [Cassandra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-wilson/) > [Miles Davis was doing something inherently African, something that has to do with all forms of American music, not just jazz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-wilson/miles-davis-was-doing-something-inherently-african-something-that-has/) [Cassandra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-wilson/) > [I've often cringed when I heard myself described as a jazz singer. I've always thought of myself as a jazz vocalist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-wilson/i-ve-often-cringed-when-i-heard-myself-described-as-a-jazz-singer-i/) [Cassandra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-wilson/) > [My grandmother sang, too, and she was really loud. It was this wild kind of singing. I count her among my influences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-wilson/my-grandmother-sang-too-and-she-was-really-loud-it-was-this-wild-kind/) [Cassandra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-wilson/) > [“Here, in this quiet place we own, worlds are born. ~Run the Voodoo Down~”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-wilson/here-in-this-quiet-place-we-own-worlds-are-born-run-the-voodoo-down/) [Cassandra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-wilson/) > [Everything I do is collaborative. It's just my way. I'm really very interested in how the other musicians perceive the song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-wilson/everything-i-do-is-collaborative-it-s-just-my-way-i-m-really-very/) [Cassandra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-wilson/) > [I cringed when I heard myself described as a Jazz singer. I've always thought of myself as a Jazz vocalist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-wilson/i-cringed-when-i-heard-myself-described-as-a-jazz-singer-i-ve-always/) [Cassandra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-wilson/) > [Being black, I'm involved in the reparations movement. It's focused toward the African-American audience. We could begin to heal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-wilson/being-black-i-m-involved-in-the-reparations-movement-it-s-focused/) [Cassandra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-wilson/) > [My father had all kinds of instruments in the house that he would hide from my mother. He bought them through mail order!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-wilson/my-father-had-all-kinds-of-instruments-in-the-house-that-he-would/) [Cassandra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-wilson/) > [There was a train that would come by our house every night, and I'd hear the whistle blow. That is the sweetest memory I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-wilson/there-was-a-train-that-would-come-by-our-house-every-night-and-i-d/) [Cassandra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-wilson/) > [I'm always looking for ways to develop as a Jazz artist, to find different ways of using my voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-wilson/i-m-always-looking-for-ways-to-develop-as-a-jazz-artist-to-find/) [Cassandra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-wilson/) > [I was never interested in singing in the church or school. I was more interested in becoming a musician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-wilson/i-was-never-interested-in-singing-in-the-church-or-school-i-was-more/) [Cassandra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-wilson/) [Explore all 17 Cassandra Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-wilson/) ## More Miles quotes > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I don't think I've ever bench-pressed anything in my life. Until about two years ago I swam a mile almost every day. Then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-antosca/i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-bench-pressed-anything-in-my-life-until-about/) [Nick Antosca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-antosca/) > [We began intercepting Japanese radio transmissions, which indicated the two forces were very close to each other. We found out later that we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-adams/we-began-intercepting-japanese-radio-transmissions-which-indicated/) [Jack Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-adams/) > [If we can send a guy to the moon we can certainly go a quarter of a mile and not get hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-prudhomme/if-we-can-send-a-guy-to-the-moon-we-can-certainly-go-a-quarter-of-a/) Don Prudhomme > [Detroit, the heart of the country... I grew up on 10 Mile, 2 miles better than 8 Mile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-bell/detroit-the-heart-of-the-country-i-grew-up-on-10-mile-2-miles-better/) [Kristen Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-bell/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) > [You'd never think of taking a cab if you had to walk a mile down Chicago's Michigan Avenue. But in a bad city you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-jahn/you-d-never-think-of-taking-a-cab-if-you-had-to-walk-a-mile-down/) [Helmut Jahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-jahn/) > [I swam with my first shark in the 1980s. I was 20 miles off the coast of Rhode Island, working with a group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-skerry/i-swam-with-my-first-shark-in-the-1980s-i-was-20-miles-off-the-coast/) [Brian Skerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-skerry/) > [Just make sure you're gone by the time we get to Miles's. It creeps me out to see you sitting in his lap without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-noel/just-make-sure-you-re-gone-by-the-time-we-get-to-miles-s-it-creeps-me/) [Alyson Noel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-noel/) > [Emma was a shocking driver, simultaneously sloppy and petrified, and for the first fifty miles had been absent-mindedly driving with her spectacles on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/emma-was-a-shocking-driver-simultaneously-sloppy-and-petrified-and/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Empathic listening takes time, but it doesn't take anywhere near as much time as it takes to back up and correct misunderstandings when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/empathic-listening-takes-time-but-it-doesn-t-take-anywhere-near-as/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [If we take care of the inches, we will not have to worry about the miles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hartley-coleridge/if-we-take-care-of-the-inches-we-will-not-have-to-worry-about-the/) [Hartley Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hartley-coleridge/) > [The most peaceful thing in the world is plowing a field. Chances are you’ll do your best thinking that way. And that’s why I’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-peaceful-thing-in-the-world-is-plowing-a-field-chances-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Kilometers are shorter than miles. Save gas, take your next trip in kilometers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/kilometers-are-shorter-than-miles-save-gas-take-your-next-trip-in/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [In the road ships must ride in 30, 40, or 50 fathom water, not above half a mile from the shore at farthest: and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dampier/in-the-road-ships-must-ride-in-30-40-or-50-fathom-water-not-above/) [William Dampier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dampier/) Browse all 2,080 Miles quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Miles Davis was a master. 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