D C DowDell

The jazziest American contribution to the vocabulary of English is Jazz itself.

Jazz improvisation is an elusive genius.

Jazz goes into my coffee in the morning, in my wine at night.

It is better to be felt than to be heard.

From hard rhythms of Be-bop, the mellow harmonies of Cool, to atonal forays of Free and the Straight Ahead delivery of Modern, it’s all Jazz.

Jazz affirms the noblest aspirations of character, individual discipline, perseverance and innovation.

When Jazz broke through in England, I remember sneaking to listen on the radio much to my parent’s disapproval.

Jazz music is haunted by its own hungry ghosts.

Music that is born complex is not inherently better or worse than music that is born simple.

If you want to make beautiful music, you must play the black and the white notes together.

If a Jazz musician plays someone else’s song, he has a responsibility to make a distinct and original statement.

I’ve had those people very interested in my writing. Since I think of myself as a composer, I feel really good. I’ve had lots of guys call me up. I’ve gotten two or three commissions to write things. I’ve written lots of movie scores.

I’m on some singer’s record date for a demo and I get a note to call Miles Davis. Of course, I didn’t believe it, but I wasn’t going to take a chance by not calling, and it was Miles. He said, ‘I’ve got a session in an hour over at Columbia, can you make it’

We in the Western world suffer from too many categories and classes; we’ve forgotten that we all still have diapers on. We’ve separated music from life.

Listening is more important than anything because that’s what music is. Somebody is playing something and you’re receiving it.

I’ve had a lot of things to be proud of in my life, but none more than the Jazz festival.

I was unfashionable before anyone knew who I was.

Jazz is restless. It won’t stay put and it never will.

Jazz music has become academic. Sometimes that doesn’t feel right to me.

I still love the whole history of Jazz. The old things sound better than ever.

I just think swing is a matter of some good things put together that you can really pat your foot by. I can’t define it beyond that.