I loved his lyricism on piano, the way he played and the spacing he used in the ensemble voicing of his groups. I have always thought Ahmad Jamal was a great piano player who never got the recognition he deserved. To some extent, Jamal taught Davis the fundamentals of cool. Jamal still teaches these lessons when he talks about his art. Like a Zen master, he refuses to allow ego to control the direction of his music.
People think they are creative.
They're not creative, they can only reflect creativity. I'm not saying you shouldn't put up effort, but you can't make a masterpiece all the time. I just do it . . . . Because if I'm having a ball, I know I'm going to get somebody who is also going to have a ball out there. And the most I can do is stimulate thought.