Bonnie Raitt

It made no sense to ignore them and to continue writing as if they did not exist. I felt that it was worth the effort to see if I couldn’t say what I had to say in the simplest possible terms.

Jazz Improvisation means that practice is not as straightforward as it would be when you simply have a score to play.

No, working is what will keep you alive.

You can’t go to the store and buy a good ear and rhythm.

As far back as I can remember, singing was in my blood. My parents loved music, and I loved to sing. I was scatting at an early age.

I’m trying to get people to see that we are our brother’s keeper. Red, white, black, brown or yellow, rich or poor, we all have the blues.

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

Mary Lou Williams used to tell me: If you’re not feeling right, play a minor tune and it falls into place.

Tomorrow you’ll wish you had practiced harder today.

The real innovators did their innovating by just being themselves.

Not too slow, not too fast. Kind of half-fast.

Jazz music just resonates with the frequency of me.

The great jazz instrumentalists taught me how to sing and interpret a song. they showed me how a horn can have as much personality as an actor.

I am the sum total of everything that I have experienced musically.

Jazz never ends… it just continues.