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I wanted very much to be Miles Davis when I was a boy, but without the practice. It just looked like an endless road.

I first met Miles Davis about 1947 and played a few jobs with him and Sonny Rollins at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan. During this period, he was coming into his own, and I could see him extending the boundaries of jazz even further.

Miles Davis fully embraced possibilities and delved into it. He was criticized heavily from the jazz side. He was supposed to be part of a tradition, but he didn't consider himself part of a tradition.

Miles Davis was a part of my life from 1947 on. I was born in 1941 and I first heard him in 1947 on a 78 rpm. And then I followed his career, starting with his first solo album in 1951. He was an icon and inspiration and a mentor to me.

Miles Davis is one who writes songs when he plays.

I used to be friends with Miles Davis. He didn't like many folks. I lived across the street from him.

Miles Davis was doing something inherently African, something that has to do with all forms of American music, not just jazz.

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.

Bette Davis was a close friend. She loved to have a good time.

Miles Davis is a major influence of mine in terms of the way that I am as a bandleader.