Charlie Parker

I realized by using the high notes of the chords as a melodic line, and by the right harmonic progression, I could play what I heard inside me. That’s when I was born.

I can play all I know in eight bars.

Don’t play the saxophone. Let it play you.

I kept thinking there’s bound to be something else? I could hear it sometimes, but I couldn’t play it.

Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn. They teach you there’s a boundary line to music. But, man, there’s no boundary line to art.

In Kansas City joints ran 9pm-5am. Pay was a $1.25 a night but somebody special like Count Basie could command $1.50.

I think the one thing that I’ve learned is that you cannot predict what’s going to happen. You can’t sit back and try to figure out what people want or leave it up to them to decide. When we all started in this business we would dictate to the audience what was great and they picked up on that based on the fact that we believed that it was great. But that’s all changed. What’s happened in the last ten years or so because is that the technology now means that everyone with a computer can make music and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.

Audiences are smart. They are not going to come out to see you unless you are honest.

Jazz music can relax, soothe and uplift the mind when you absorb it.

It is better to be felt than to be heard.

For years the Trio did nothing but play for musicians and other hip people. We practically starved to death.

It’s easy in music to tell what’s good. It’s hard to tell what’s bad.

The whole concept for the Yeezus album is that we’re not going to be using CDs in the future and since this is the last time we’re going to see it, this is an open casket for the CD.

Jazz has an aesthetic intimacy, a romantic transference.

Through Dizzy and Bird I began to learn about musical structures and the more theoretical aspects of music.

A Jazz musician is supposed to find his voice, find his niche and do his thing.

They teach you there’s a boundary line to music. But, man, there’s no boundary line to art.

If you’re gonna sing meaningful songs, you have to be committed to living a life that backs that up.

It’s true I’ve always been attracted to the jazz band in an orchestral way, rather than a band way.

The point of Jazz is, you do something and then you go on.

Jazz is something you have to feel, something you have to live.