Pat Metheny

Jazz is not something that can be defined through blunt instruments. It is much more poetic than that.

My first relationship to any kind of musical situation is as a listener.

Jazz demands that you bring to it things that are valuable to you, that are personal to you.

The beauty of Jazz is that it’s malleable. People address it to suit their own personalities.

Jazz is an idea that is more powerful than the details of its history.

Jazz music will continue to thrive, possibly in unexpected ways.

What I’m doing, I prefer to call that jazz, because it is a beautiful word – I love it.

Trying to play the new concept with a outward bound feeling.

Art [Blakey] would take young people with a potential and help them develop a voice as a player and as a writer.

Look at the tune and not make the same statement that has been made a million times.

They said Bird played bebop, but Bird could still swing. I’ve heard a lot of guys play bebop, but they wasn’t swinging.

Composing is a mindset, a part of who I am.

When Bird came on the scene, it was shocking as in the Bible: everything was dark and then there was light.

[On the word Jazz] There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s only a word. What’s in a name? Nothing! Cats say, Call me Muhammed so-and-so. But what’s the difference? A name doesn’t make the music. It’s just called that to differentiate it from other types of music. Jazz is known all over the world as an American musical art form and that’s it. No America, no jazz. I’ve seen people try to connect it to other countries, for instance to Africa, but it doesn’t have a damn thing to do with Africa.

I think that it is important to try to sound like someone, especially early in your development.

Once you start collecting records you learn more and more about Jazz and Blues.

Jazz is very much alive. Everywhere I go there’s a new generation of musicians playing Jazz music.

If there is no dance, there is not music.

Sound is the first thing that we tune into.

I like the interplay in the music.

You may be sitting in a room reading this book. Imagine one note struck upon the piano. Immediately that one note is enough to change the atmosphere of the room – proving that the sound element in music is a powerful and mysterious agent, which it would be foolish to deride or belittle.