Best 709 quotes in «jazz quotes» category

There are no natural barriers. It's all music. It's either hip or it ain't.

There are notes between notes, you know.

There are three virtuous styles of music; classical, jazz and heavy metal. I do love classical music but I don't listen to it much anymore and I never listen to metal, so I am not very interested in music that is difficult to play.

There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind.

There are wonderful things in Jazz, the improvisation, the liveliness, the being at one with the audience.

There is an apprenticeship system in jazz. You teach the young ones. So even if the musicians weren't personally that likable, they felt an obligation to help the younger musicians.

There is no such thing as a wrong note.

There is nothing new... everything has roots in the past.

There's a richness to the old works if you look before the 1950s. The chord progressions and the language was more complicated, especially in the jazz and classical world.

There's only two ways to sum up music; either it's good or it's bad. If it's good you don't mess about it, you just enjoy it.

There’s no such thing as a wrong note.

There's more bad music in jazz than any other form. Maybe that's because the audience doesn't really know what's happening.

There's so much music out there & so many possibilities. I like anyone who plays any instrument.

The strange thing about Africa is how past, present and future come together in a kind of rough jazz, if you like.

The saxophone is an imperfect instrument, especially the tenor and soprano, as far as intonation goes. The challenge is to sing on an imperfect instrument that is outside of your body.

The spirit of jazz is the spirit of openness.

The theory is that you don't play a song the same way twice because it's jazz. That's where I'm coming from.

The whole thing of being in music is not to control it but to be swept away by it.

The value of music is not dazzling yourself and others with technique.

The whole basis of my singing is feeling. Unless I feel something, I can't sing.

The trio is the biggest sound you can have with the smallest unit.

The type of band that I have now, the type of music that we're playing you either like it or you dislike it. If you dislike it, you probably don't know why. By the same token, you can't even really say why you like it.

The whole reason for Jazz at the Philharmonic was to take it to places where I could break down segregation.

The whole thing of being in music is not to control it but to be swept away by it. If you're swept away by it you can't wait to do it again and the same magical moments always come.

The wonderful thing about Jazz is its willingness to take chances.

They always want to sell me as a hard bopper.

The worst crime is faking it.

The worst thing about the life of a jazz musician on the road is getting to the gig. Once you're there and playing, it's marvelous.

They always ask me the same questions. Where was I born? When did I start singing? Who have I worked with? I don't understand why they can't just talk to me without all that question bit.

This whole problem can be stated quite simply by asking, “Is there a meaning to music?” My answer to that would be, “Yes.” And “Can you state in so many words what the meaning is?” My answer to that would be, “No.”

They're singing your praises while stealing your phrases.

This is a tradition of resistance to the term that's as old as the term itself, especially because that term has been used to commodify and reduce black creativity, and also to appropriate and sell it. That's what John Coltrane said in an interview with a Japanese journalist: "Jazz is a word they use to sell our music, but to me that word does not exist." And he's treated as one of the central figures in the history of jazz. So if he rejected it, then why is it weird when I do it? I'm in the tradition!

This is our bandstand. If you don't want to play, get up off the instrument and leave.

To me, jazz is the closest thing to insanity that there is in music.

To hell with the rules. I'm going for the unknown.

To me, nostalgia is nothing more than a mindless plundering of the past for the commonplace.

Tommy Dorsey would walk up to you if you had a tuxedo on and make sure you didn't have on white socks.

To me, the piano in itself is an orchestra.

Trumpet players are just belligerant, and cocky, and you know, just hard-headed.

Trumpets! Can you bring your... uh... extracurricular tubing necessities next rehearsal?

Trouble follows me wherever I go. Thing I'm in is just a sack o'woe.

Unlike anything heard before. This is jazz for the 21st century.

Up to the age of 14 I had not heard a note of anything before 1750, never heard a note of Bach, never heard anything after Wagner, and never heard any real jazz.

We must be as pure as our music.

We all listened to a lot of recorded music, especially American jazz, modern jazz, and that's where our studies were and our inspiration came from.

We always talk about how everyone is unifocal. You can't possibly be interested in jazz and Beethoven. Of course you can. You can't both be reading a newspaper and be online. Of course you can. We shouldn't be obsessed with a gun to your head, 'You either read a newspaper or die!'

Well, Grover Washington was my main influence and when I went to college, I started listening to more of the jazz masters like Sonny Rollins, Cannonball Adderley, and John Coltrane.

Well, I think writing is basically about time and rhythm. Like with jazz. You have your basic melody and then you just riff off of it. And the riffs are about timing.

Well, jazz is to me, a complete lifestyle. It's bigger than a word. It's a much bigger force than just something that you can say. It's something that you have to feel. It's something that you have to live.

Well, actually, I don't consider myself a jazz legend or anything.