Quotes from Dizzy Gillespie

They're not particular about whether you're playing a flatted fifth or a ruptured 129th as long as they can dance to it.

How do I know why Miles walks off the stage? Why don't you ask him? And besides, maybe we'd all like to be like Miles, and just haven't got the guts.

Men have died for this music. You can't get more serious than that.

It's taken me all my life to learn what not to play.

One of the reasons we're here is to be a part of this process of exchange.

You can't steal a gift. Bird [Charlie Parker] gave the world his music, and if you can hear it you can have it.

They're not particular whether you're playing a flat 5th or a ruptured 129th as long as they can dance.

Miles got a mystique about him-plus he's at the top of his profession. And he's got way, way, way more money.

Kenny Burrell is the grand master of jazz guitar.

I'd like to play for you one of my compositions, my only composition.

Where there's no mutual respect, there's trouble!

Know him know me.

I always try to teach by example and not force my ideas on a young musician. One of the reasons we're here is to be a part of this process of exchange.

I don't care much about music. What I like is sounds.

The idea of life is to give and receive.

I think the idea is now for blacks to write about the history of our music. It's time for that, because whites have been doing it all the time. It's time for us to do it ourselves and tell it like it is.

Bop is at the end of the road. Now everybody wants dance music.

Everyone wants to put people on, I think. And get away with it! That's the thing: put people on and get away with it! That's a science in itself.

I don't care much about music. What I like is sounds.

We loved one another, man. I mean all those stories about the rift ... there was no question of a rift between Charlie Parker and me.

As a musician you have to keep one foot back in the past and have one foot forward into the future.