'You can't play anything on a horn that Louis hasn't played.'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker acknowledges a predecessor as having covered all possibilities.
- In plain terms
- Everything playable was already done by Louis.
- What can you take from it?
- Masters often exhaust the possibilities of their medium.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Have you exhausted your field?
- How do you build on history?
Another view
It assumes no new ideas are possible after a master.
More from Miles Davis
'Why'd you put that white bitch on there?'
Permalink to quote #11 'I'll play it and tell you what it is later.'
Permalink to quote #13 'He could very well be the Duke Ellington of Rock 'n' Roll.'
Permalink to quote #10
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