I saw Al Foster with Miles Davis the other week. It was beautiful. But, the whole thing was, Al Foster played as well as everybody else, but all of them were quite brilliant under Miles Davis' direction.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
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.
Miles Davis turned his back to the audience when he came out on stage, and he offended people. But, he wasn't there to entertain; he was all about the music. I kind of do that.
My playing started to develop through the Miles Davis stuff I was listening to.
I wanted very much to be Miles Davis when I was a boy, but without the practice. It just looked like an endless road.
Miles Davis is one who writes songs when he plays.
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.
Preston Sturges is one of my favorites. I learned about dialogue and timing from him - louder, faster, funnier. But I do love Mel Brooks.
I loved 'Gladiator' when I was young. Russell Crowe was a big inspiration; the fact that he plays my father in 'Noah' was amazing.
One of my favorite movies is Bette Davis in 'All About Eve,' and it is shocking there was no pressure on her to be likable.
Miles Davis had me play and he hired me the following week and after that, everything broke wide open.