Best 709 quotes in «jazz quotes» category

Flexibility is an essential part of Jazz. It's what gives Jazz music the ability to combine with all other types of music and not lose its identity.

For me jazz is kind of an extension of hip-hop. Kind of the sad thing is that a lot of jazz people just listen to jazz, and a lot of hip-hop people just listen to hip-hop, and there's not a lot of crossover, unfortunately.

For me, jazz will always be the soundtrack of the civil rights movement.

For me personally - because I do it myself - the scoring of a picture is fun. I edit the picture and when I've finished I go into my room and I have many many records - jazz, classical and popular music. And I have this all at my disposal. I don't have to get a composer.

Fortune ought to be a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master.

Frankie Randall is a consummate performer. He is an exquisite jazz pianist and wonderful singer. I had the great pleasure to work with him on the Dean Martin Show and I'm very proud to call him a friend!

For years, Jazz At The Philharmonic albums were the only ones of their kind.

Free form jazz means absolutely nothing to me. Because there are no boundaries.

Genius is a word too often tossed around in musical circles.

For me, the main thing is spontaneity & taking chances.

Fusion has been my nemesis.

[Goodman] became famous (or notorious) for staring at a player he didn't like. It was called 'the ray' by his men.

Gospel music rhythms are not African in origin, although I know that's what the jazz experts say.

He didn't say nothing. He would just do things. He never said nothing or explained nothing. He just would do it and that was it. You were on your own. You had to be very independent being around John [Coltrane].

He's no Bill Clinton!

Growing up, I was very much interested in jazz music.

He sounded to me like he's supposed to be the savior of jazz. Sometimes people speak as though someone asked them a question. Well, no one asked him a question.

He would forget everybody's name, so everybody was called 'Pops'.

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.

Historians in the future, in my opinion, will congratulate us on very little other than our clowning and our jazz.

I am not a jazz singer. I wouldn't place myself on that footing. I wouldn't even enter that arena.

Here in England we live at a slower pace, have more time to enjoy things - like good jazz.

I actually find a lot of parallels in jazz and cartooning.

I always called him the Dizzy Dean of music, he was so belligerent and braggadocio... But one thing I always noticed about Jelly, he would back everything he said by what he could do.

I always say it's not my Arkestra, it belongs to some other force which wants certain things, to reach people.

I always think of music as interior decoration. So, if you have all kinds of music, you are fully decorated!

I always wanted to be a spontaneous composer.

I am a complete jazz nerd.

I am a musician, but I'm another type of musician.

I can show you that I have played with just about every jazz musician, every African musician, every blues musician. It's not like I'm cashing in on a false concept. This is what I do.

I am famous because I am an African American jazz artist.

I can imagine an utter hatred for the jazz avant-garde.

I can tell whether a person can play just by the way he stands.

I compose my pieces with a formula that I created myself.

I cringed when I heard myself described as a Jazz singer. I've always thought of myself as a Jazz vocalist.

I'd have no trouble being the barbecue kingpin of America. I'd just add it to all the other things I am: jazz musician, carpenter, architect, engineer and revolutionary.

I am viewed as the Negro who has gone outside of the categories assigned to me.

I cut myself off from the mainstream of jazz. It stood me in good stead later on, as a musician.

I did get to sing at Carnegie Hall when they were made Landmarks! I sang ALL THAT JAZZ with the NY Pops ...what a total thrill.

I didn't know there were 2 ten o'clocks in a day.

I did everything I could to not bring in any of the - any of the technical things I got from classical into jazz. And I did everything to really base it on my speaking voice and to just not try to make it sound pretty.

I can turn on some jazz guitarist, and he won't do a thing for me, if he's not playing electrically. But Jeff Beck's great to listen to.

I didn't really like jazz that much and was unhappy in that genre. It was what I was doing just to get by and pay rent.

I do ballet and pointe work. I also do tap, commercial jazz and technical jazz, freestyle street dancing.

I do find modern jazz quite tricky.

I'd like to feel that whatever I play is a result of whatever I've heard.

I'd like to do something involving jazz. But books are how I earn my living, and I'd like to stay with the horse I rode in on.

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

I do not claim any of the creation of the blues, although I have written many of them even before Mr. Handy had any blues published. I heard them when I was knee-high to a duck.

I do modern jazz and contemporary combined. I like to feel strong, flexible, and so there is stretching involved.