Ornette Coleman

The violin, the saxophone, the trumpet: Each makes a very different sound but the very same notes. That’s pretty heavy, you know ? Imagine how many different races make up the human race. I’m called colored, you’re called white, he’s called something else. We still got an asshole and a mouth. Pardon me.

I don’t know what they’re thinking about. Just because someone says, ‘I like what you do’ or something: They might like it today and tomorrow they might not. I’ve had that experience with record companies.

Musicians tell me, if what I’m doing is right, they should never have gone to school.

Difference between sex and love? Well, you’re not always sure you’re in love. But when you’re having sex, there’s really no mistaking it.

It’s easier to copy someone else than to find out how to avoid sounding like someone else.

How can I turn emotion into knowledge? That’s what I try to do with my horn.

Learning to read music in Braille and play by ear helped me develop a damn good memory.

Jazz has the ability to absorb and transform influences from diverse musical styles.

Music activates the brain at a high level.

The way I look at it, they’re all part of my musical diary, and I can listen to any one of them and it will bring up memories of what was going on at that time.

[In 1969] I think lyrics have always been important to any serious writer of music.

I am a devout musician.

It doesn’t matter all that much. It’s just that when you’re playing, Stephane, you’ve got both Chaput and me backing you, but when I’m soloing I’ve only got one guitar behind me!

Everybody came. Everybody came to the Cotton Club.

For a long time I wasn’t listening to music, to the rock and roll stuff on the radio, because it would cause me to get sweaty–it would bring back memories I didn’t want to know about, or I would get that feeling that I’m not alive ’cause I’m not making it. And if it was good, I hated it ’cause I wasn’t doing it. And if it was bad, I was furious ’cause I could’ve done it better…

Don’t say Aretha is making a comeback, because I’ve never been away!

People like the idea of the trio and so I did mostly trio.

I have been doing music all my life so everyday when I get up I expect music will be part of it.

I can count on one hand the number of instrumental hits there have been over the last 10 years.

Music is born out of the inner sounds within a soul.

I never had much interest in the piano until I realized that every time I played, a girl would appear on the piano bench to my left and another to my right.