Jazz Quotes

the beauty of America, neither cool jazz nor devoured Egyptian heroes, lies in lives in the darkness I inhabit in the midst of sterile millions

They always want to sell me as a hard bopper.

I know of musicians who have played together for decades who hate each other. The Modern Jazz Quartet for one.

But if you listen to great piano players, both classical and jazz, theres a huge range of dynamics and colors and emotional expression thats possible with the instrument.

I hate the idea of turning jazz into homework assignments. I would never have a quiz saying, "Who's the clarinetist on the Hot Five?" I don't care. If you like the clarinetist, you'll know who it is.

I have to plead basic ignorance of most new jazz artists here.

During our first meeting, Tony Iommi was a great jazz guitarist, his capabilities cover all styles - Black Sabbath has even narrowed his horizons.

I have believed for many years that Oscar Peterson is not only the greatest pianist in jazz today, but the greatest it has ever known.

I've had the pleasure of playing with the baddest Jazz cats on the planet.

If America has a future, Jazz has a future. The two are inseparable.

I don't like freedom jazz - I think it's void of roots and void of foundation.

Some people think I'm a rock 'n' roll musician and some think I'm a jazz musician but, for me, there is no difference.

Lately, my mind is like an orchestra. If you don't have the conductor, you don't know what to do. One guy is playing jazz, one guy is playing rock and roll, another classical. It's a big mess.

I like a lot of electronica. I like older jazz rather than newer.

Symphony musicians are not trained in improvising, certainly not in a jazz style.

New York is the dream world, the center of jazz and rock

You basically have to play everything (in New Orleans), because you're getting calls to play gigs of all different styles, from classical to R&B to funk; modern jazz to traditional jazz.

Girls liking bad boys is the cookie jar complex. When somebody tells you you can't have a cookie, you want a cookie. But I live in a bad-boy world, artistically. All the jazz boys are bad boys.

I had my jazz club and I had enough money. So I didn't have to write for my living.

Kansas City Lightning succeeds as few biographies of jazz musicians have. . . This book is a magnificent achievement; I could hardly put it down.

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

If you go back to the roots of jazz, it was all about COLLECTIVE improvisation.

I like to listen to classical music... I like mainline jazz.

You always come back to Duke Ellington - he's kind of like the thread that holds everything together from the big band descending to lots of jazz, actually.

Jazz translates the moment into a sense of inspiration for not only the musicians but for the listeners.

Jazz has been the voice of freedom for so many countries over the past half century.

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

At a certain point, I became a kind of musician that has tunnel vision about jazz. I only listened to jazz and classical music.

I'm aware that a lot of what is happening in jazz has not had a very dynamic change in a long time.

There are a lot of records coming out, in every field of music, not just jazz.

Oscar Peterson is the greatest living influence on jazz pianists today.

To most jazz critics I was basically Kenny G.

If I'm going to be a jazz player, I need to understand Miles Davis.

My novels and poems are meant to be read aloud. That's why jazz musicians have been able to adapt my stuff.

Holy flowers floating in the air, were all these tired faces in the dawn of Jazz America.

When I'm working behind a camera, I feel like I'm trying to achieve something like a jazz musician does.

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.

Lizzy Parks. Check this out, this is brilliantShe is a fantastic jazz singer definitely one to watch from now on, she’s got a great voice and she’s a great songwriter as well

There's a certain phraseology involved in jazz, and I've moved away from that.

My mother is a singer, still performs today; she's a jazz singer.

I do find modern jazz quite tricky.

I've listened to Jazz since I was born and always knew I'd be a Jazz singer!

Jane Monheit is skyrocketing up the jazz charts. By next year, we won't be able to get her.

I listened to the radio, so I was influenced by everyone from Michael Jackson to Milli Vanilli. But thankfully my dad had a collection of Cat Stevens albums while my mom was listening to jazz.

Some musicians play blues, others classical jazz or bluegrass. I like to play political roles because I can merge my political interests with my creative interests.

Hip-hop is mostly what I listen to, other than jazz. I've given up on pop music and indie rock.

As I got older, I started to do it more and more, and I wanted to learn all of the different types. I grew up doing modern, so I wanted to learn ballet, tap, jazz, and African - just everything.

President Obama just made his first presidential trip to the state of Utah. Obama spent his time in Utah just like you'd expect - telling people, 'Uh, no, I don't play for the Jazz.'

Remember that a book is many drafts - mine certainly are. It's improvisation. It's as much jazz and the way we talk and the way I heard people preach coming up as it is writing.

This music that was supposed to only come from tapes like in any restaurant. Something would happened. One bird will start to do a little jazz thing, and another bird will start to answer.