“To American critics, Gershwin sounded exactly like what they wanted to get away from. It was the essence of their own time and place represented musically, just as James Joyce had verbally rendered Dublin in Ulysses. This kind of rendering absolutely had to include the time and place's vulgarity, its flash and its hustle, and what can only be called its gorgeous ugliness. Two years earlier, G.K. Chesterton had pointed out how beautiful Times Square must look to someone who couldn't read, and here was that same thought set to music. If Gershwin's music had been any purer and more correct, it wouldn't have been New York.”
Source: The House That George Built : With a Little Help from Irving, Cole, and a Crew of about Fifty (Paperback)--by Wilfrid Sheed [2008 Edition]
“Was not every piece of music “4’33,” never a rendition sounding alike, with each element of chance affecting the dynamics, the receptions, the discovery of the music in the room? Was not the machinery of change as much part of the music as the musician?”
Source: Toward Eternity
“When you went to your favorite concert and heard your favorite musician singing the body electric, that was it; when you met your love and gazed at each other with shining eyes, that was it; when you kissed your five-year-old good night and she turned to you solemnly and said, "Thank you for loving me so much," that was it: all of them facets of the same jewel.”
Source: Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole
“Know that the moment you accept any money from an investor, be it your aunt or a stranger, that person owns you.”
“Developing a large vocabulary of chords and scales will make your playing more sophisticated, but do remember - you cannot memorize a dictionary and then become a poet. To make real, red blooded music, you must develop personality and taste too.”
Source: Guitar Chords, Scales & Arpeggios: The Complete Visual Guide for Modern Players
“How the haunting music of this cry of hope
the words searching for encouragement
stabbed at your heart.
But this too of your creations made the days of incarceration more bearable.
--from "Ka wa hauʻlea”
Source: Hanai: A Poem for Queen Liliuokalani
“Somewhere, the radio was playing—WCRB again, soft classical. I didn’t register it at first. I was too busy putting my keys down, toeing off my shoes, breathing into the hush. But then the melody changed.
Piano. Slow. Familiar.
It was Adagio cantabile.
Not Joel’s version, with its doo-wop backbone and lovesick harmonies.
Beethoven’s.
The real thing.”
Source: Comings and Goings - The Art of Being Seen : A Jim Garraty Story
“Gladiators of the Sun
by Sami Abouzid
Life before Gladiators of the Sun—my first electronic symphony—
was a different world entirely.
A world of searching, shaping, and silent dreaming.
But the moment I created that first note,
everything changed.
A new universe opened, one that only I could hear,
feel, and bring to life.
Gladiators of the Sun wasn’t just music—
it was a revolution inside my soul.
It gave me my voice.
It carved my identity into sound,
and lit the path for what would become
300 symphonies,
each one echoing the fire that started it all.
That first symphony still lives in me—
forever in my heart.
It was the beginning of the Sami Abouzid style,
a sonic language no one else could speak,
born from pure vision, emotion, and truth.
From that moment on, I never looked back.
I created endlessly,
fearlessly,
passionately—
building worlds where others only heard sound.
Enjoy my music.
Because when you listen,
you’re not just hearing notes—
you’re hearing the story of a soul that dared to dream.
— Sami Abouzid”
“If you ever love something, don’t wait for the right time. Time will never be right.”
Source: YOU DON’T WANT TO DIE: Life Renews in the Depths of Despair
“Be Your Own Teacher
by Sami Abouzid
No one ever teaches you anything truly valuable in this life.
No one shows you the path to brilliance.
Most people will doubt you, mock you,
attack your light just to feel brighter themselves.
On the road to your dreams,
you’ll walk alone more than you’ll walk beside anyone.
But that’s the beauty of it.
Most of the wisest minds in history didn’t learn through lessons—
they discovered truth in the chaos,
through mistakes, accidents, and raw hunger.
I created 672 soundtracks and 300 electronic symphonies—alone.
No one taught me how to write, compose, mix, or master.
I was my own teacher.
I respected the process,
trusted myself,
and gave myself the time to become.
And now?
I do what I want, when I want—
with power, purpose, and freedom.
Never wait for someone to hand you greatness.
It’s not given.
It’s earned, built in silence,
forged in fire,
and born from the belief that you don’t need permission.
Be your own guide.
Be your own light.
Be your own legend.
— Sami Abouzid”