Best instruments & jazz Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings

“I always had a great appreciation for jazz, but I'm a very pedestrian musician. I get by. I like to think that my main instrument is vocabulary.”

Thinking Musician Instruments Jazz Appreciation Vocabulary Pedestrians

Author:Tom Waits

“I will never again play anything that does not have social significance. We American jazz musicians of African descent have proved beyond all doubt that we are master musicians of our instruments. Now what we have to do is employ our skill to tell the dramatic story of our people and what we've been through.”

People Doe Play Stories Social Music Doubt Masters Skills Musician Instruments Jazz African American Dramatic Significance Jazz Music Descent Jazz Musician African Music

Author:Max Roach

“So our ears got used to listening to jazz in the place that it was that the bass player could not play. No one really realized it and really addressed it until the bass players who could play their instrument came along and started doing something with it.”

Play Used Player Listening Ears Instruments Jazz Bass Bass Players

Author:Miroslav Vitous

“I don't play the traditional Charlie Parker songs. But I do improvise and I do create with my instrument, and that to me is jazz. But there are people who use the word 'jazz' only in a traditional sense, and they would be offended by that, and that's fine.”

People Play Use Would Be Song Fine Instruments Jazz Traditional Offended Charlie Offended You

Author:Kenny G

“I always think of a voice as an instrument, whether a voice is a trumpet, or violin, or bass. You know what I mean? A horn or wind instrument versus a string instrument. Horn instruments are definitely more toward jazz.”

Thinking Knows Mean Voice Wind Instruments Jazz Strings Versus Horns Bass Violin Trumpets Wind Instruments

Author:Debbie Harry

“You've got to learn your instrument.”

Instruments Jazz

Author:Charlie Parker

“I've played drums since I was 15. My sisters and I all played instruments. I kind of started with piano and then I actually played saxophone with a jazz band in middle school. So, any knowledge I had of jazz music was from playing alto-sax back then.”

Kind School Middle Band Instruments Jazz Piano My Sister Jazz Music Middle School Saxophone Jazz Band

Author:Miles Teller

“I think of myself as a jazz player, and my music as a natural extension of the jazz tradition. What I'm doing is completely free improvisation ('composing in real time') with nothing predetermined. I've had a lot of experience playing many different kinds of music and several different instruments, and since I tend not to waste anything, it all shows up somewhere in the music I'm playing now.”

Thinking Kind Different Real Shows Natural Player Waste Tradition Instruments Jazz Different Kinds Extensions Improvisation Composing Predetermined Different Kinds Of Music

Author:Richard Grossman

“Louis Armstrong was the primary contributor to jazz music in the 20th century. His improvisational skills served as the principal model for all who came after him, regardless of one's chosen instrument.”

Century Skills Models Instruments Jazz Chosen Primaries Principal 20th Century Jazz Music Armstrong Contributors

Author:Ellis Marsalis, Jr.

“As a drumset player I look outside the typical canon of drums - jazz and rock. When I hear something like the "Monkey Chant", even though there are no instruments on it at all, the rhythms are so intriguing.”

Looks Player Rocks Instruments Jazz Rhythm Typical Monkeys Intriguing Canon

Author:Glenn Kotche

“Skiffle was blues featuring a washboard and acoustic instruments. It encompassed blues, with elements of folk, jazz, and, at times, American country-and-western music.”

Country Elements Instruments Jazz Western Folks Acoustics Western Music

Author:Van Morrison

“I'm always scouring the universe for great old instruments from the '50s and early '60s. That's really, for me, the golden age of basses, when they had just been invented within 10 years of that period and they had just started to come into their own, especially the old Fender jazz basses and old Rickenbackers and Gibsons. I'm always on the lookout. It's fun.”

Years Age Universe Fun Periods Instruments Jazz Golden Bass Golden Age

Author:Geddy Lee

“Some of the guys I played with .. didn't go around learning more about their instruments from an intellectual point of view. All they wanted was to play hot jazz, and the instrument was just a means. I'd imagine that a lot of them criticized me-said my technique was too good. Something like that. But I've always wanted to know what made music. How you do it, and why it sounds good. I always practiced, worked like hell.”

Knows Mean Made Said Play Wanted Guy Sound Views Hell Learning Imagine Intellectual Hot Instruments Jazz Point Of View Technique Imagine That Learning More

Author:Benny Goodman

“It's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.”

“[Sweets Edison] was one of the greatest stylists in Jazz of all time. And on top of that, when you listen to him, you say 'yes, that's Sweets' and you automatically smile. This is really unique. He changed the way how to play this instrument.”

Way Play Changed Sweet Unique Instruments Jazz All Time Stylist

Author:Clark Terry

“I always tell my students when you're going to be a jazz musician the first thing you've got to do is be a professional musician, and that means you have to feed yourself with the instrument.”

Firsts Mean Students Musician Instruments Jazz Jazz Music Jazz Musician

Author:Lester Bowie

“I got into playing the jazz. I played jazz for a good while. I did the popular stuff first. You got the "Twelfth Street Rag" and those kinds of things. Then I got to hanging around with a bunch of guys starting to playing jazz. We'd go from one place to the other and take our instruments, just perform for free.”

Firsts Kind Guy Stuff Streets Instruments Jazz Starting Bunch Rags Hanging Around Playing Jazz

Author:Papa John Creach

“I knew what real instruments I wanted and, in some cases, who I wanted to play them. I had started listening to a lot of ambient music and jazz and I wanted to incorporate stuff like that, too.”

Real Play Wanted Stuff Cases Listening Instruments Jazz Ambient Ambient Music

Author:Dan Bejar

“My mother would take me to jazz concerts in the park and everybody was smoked out. She gave me the intro and then she forced me to play an instrument to keep me out of trouble.”

Play Mother Trouble Instruments Jazz Parks Take Me Concerts

Author:Prefuse 73

“You've got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail.”

Faith Forget Music Practice Instruments Jazz Get Up Jazz Music Wailing Music Practice

Author:Charlie Parker

“Master your instrument. Master the music. And then forget all that bullshit and just play.”

Play Forget Music Masters Instruments Jazz Bullshit Jazz Music Playing Music Jazz Musician Playing Jazz Jazz And Life

Author:Charlie Parker

“External instruments are only extensions of the biological instrument.”

Music Instruments Jazz Musical Extensions

Author:Yusef Lateef

“I use the audience as my color palette, my instrument.”

Use Music Audience Color Instruments Jazz Palette

Author:Bobby McFerrin

“I believe in using the entire piano as a single instrument capable of expressing every possible musical idea.”

Believe Ideas I Believe Music Capable Instruments Jazz Musical I Believe In Piano Pianist Piano Music

Author:Oscar Peterson

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

Play Music Possibility Instruments Jazz Saxophone

Author:Bill Frisell

“The people who really got me off were dealing with the musical potential of their instrument.”

People Music Instruments Jazz Musical

Author:Max Roach

“Jazz is a democratic musical form. We take our respective instruments & collectively create a thing of beauty.”

Form Music Instruments Jazz Democratic Musical

Author:Max Roach

“I'm too busy playing. When I'm playing I don't pay attention to who's listening. When I was listening I listened to symphony orchestras, Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Stravinsky. You don't listen to one instrument; you listen to music.”

Pay Attention Listening Instruments Jazz Busy Pay Attention Orchestra Listening To Music Symphony Too Busy Symphony Orchestras Brahms Stravinsky

Author:Charles Mingus

“Jazz is not something that can be defined through blunt instruments. It is much more poetic than that.”

Music Stupid Instruments Jazz Defined Poetic Blunt

Author:Pat Metheny

“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.”

Body Challenges Instruments Jazz Your Body Imperfect Saxophone Tenors Sopranos Human Voice Intonation

Author:Stan Getz

“Switch to piano! No. Really, if you like an instrument that sings, play the saxophone. At its best it's like the human voice. Of course, it would be best if you could actually sing with your own voice. The saxophone is an imperfect instrument, especially the tenor and soprano, as far as intonation goes. Therefore, the challenge is to sing on an imperfect instrument or 'voice' that is outside of your body. I love that challenge and have for over forty-five years. As far as playing jazz, no other art form, other than conversation, can give the satisfaction of spontaneous interaction.”

“It's the group sound that's important, even when you're playing a solo. You not only have to know your own instrument, you must know the others and how to back them up at all times. That's jazz.”

Knows Important Sound Music Groups Instruments Jazz Musical All Time Solo

Author:Oscar Peterson

“Some people say there was no jazz tenor before me. All I know is I just had a way of playing and I didn't think in terms of any other instrument but the tenor”

People Thinking Knows Way Term Instruments Jazz Tenors

Author:Coleman Hawkins

“These magic moments when rhythms and harmonies extend themselves and jell together and the people become another instrument. These things are priceless and they can't be learned; they can only be felt.”

People Moments Together Felt Music Magic Harmony Instruments Jazz Rhythm Jazz Music Priceless Magic Moments

Author:Andrew Hill

“[John Coltrane] liked my qualities as a person and that's the reason why he let me play with him. It wasn't what I was doing musically or my instrument or anything like that. He let me play whatever I wanted to play.”

Persons Reason Play Wanted Quality Music Let Me Instruments Jazz Reason Why Jazz Music Coltrane

Author:Pharoah Sanders

“When I was studying at Berklee, I got the feeling I couldn't play the [guitar] at all, because I could not use my own things as they didn't fit any set pattern. When I joined [Chico Hamilton], he helped me immensely to develop my own style. He never forced me in any set way. At all times, he encouraged me to be myself on the instrument.”

Way Play Use Feelings My Own Music Study Style Fit Instruments Jazz Guitar Patterns All Time Jazz Music Hamilton My Own Style

Author:Gabor Szabo

“Too many jazz pianists limit themselves to a personal style, a trademark, so to speak. They confine themselves to one type of playing. I believe in using the entire piano as a single instrument capable of expressing every possible musical idea. I have no one style. I play as I feel.”

Feels Believe Ideas Play Speak I Believe Style Type Limits Capable Instruments Jazz Musical I Believe In Piano Pianist Personal Style Trademarks

Author:Oscar Peterson

“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.”

Ifs Player Emotional Color Expression Huge Instruments Jazz Range Piano Dynamics Emotional Expression

Author:Gary Burton

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