Miles Davis, in addition to being one of the most talented and distinctive musicians to grace the annals of jazz history, had a unique reputation when it came to his speaking voice--both for his hoarse whisper and his pithy, rather Zen-like way of communicating with his band members, which sometimes resulted in amusing exchanges, such as his retort to John Coltrane's lament that he couldn't stop soloing: “Try taking the saxophone out of your mouth." While working on an upcoming Night Lights show about Miles' early-1980s period, I came across this story about saxophonist Bob Berg in Paul Tingen's Miles Beyond: the Electric Explorations of Miles Davis, 1967-1991:
