Herbie Hancock

Jazz translates the moment into a sense of inspiration for not only the musicians but for the listeners.

But I have to be careful not to let the world dazzle me so much that I forget that I’m a husband and a father.

Miles’ sessions were not typical of anybody else’s sessions. They were totally unique.

I’m always looking to create new avenues or new visions of music.

One thing I like about jazz is that it emphasized doing things differently from what other people were doing.

Being a musician is what I do, but it’s not what I am.

The audience, they’re not professionals. They just love music. It isn’t necessary to play over their heads to be admired.

Canada has a passive-aggressive culture, with a lot of sarcasm and righteousness. That went with my weird messianic complex. The ego is a fascinating monster. I was taught from a young age that I had to serve, so that turned into me thinking I had to save the planet.

If you don’t make mistakes, you aren’t really trying.

I love to hear the note sing.

I’m not like a legend that – so I’m sort of in the middle in this sort of gray area where, you know, I’m creating music, and I’m not saying there isn’t an audience, because there is; because all of those people go out and spend $80 to $150 on a concert ticket.

I started as a writer and when I sent my demos out everyone wanted to know who was singing and if that person wanted a record deal.

I used my mother’s radio as a PA system. I’d take the telephone, the speaking part, and take those two leads off and lead them into the radio and the sound would come out of the speaker.

It’s either hip or it ain’t.

Everybody ought to have a lower East Side in their life.

Anyone who doesn’t give [his debut album, The College Dropout] a perfect score is lowering the integrity of the magazine

If I’m going to sing like someone else, then I don’t need to sing at all.

The arranger doesn’t get any royalties, but I had so much fun doing it.

..I wanted to create music that was so different that my mother could tell me from anyone else.

I am attracted to Jazz music for the idea of being in the moment and communicating to people spontaneously.

My dream is to do whatever I want without any interference from the record company.