Skitch Henderson

When I began listening to saxophones, I was first attracted to Coleman Hawkins.

I felt like I was making a record under the radar, and that is my favorite way to do anything.

My dark sound could be heard across a room clearer than somebody with a reedy sound. It had more projection. My sound always seemed to fill a room.

Jazz is America’s classical music.

Back in college, when I got kicked out of school, I was still in school, I’d just written the song that got me my record deal. If I hadn’t gotten kicked out of school I wouldn’t be where I am now. Three months after that, I got my record deal and the rest is history.

I’ve studied all my musical life, but learning is only good if you do something constructive with it.

Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.

Music used to be essential and meaningful, but now it’s disposable.

In classical music, only two people are important, the composer and the conductor. Everybody else is a serf. In jazz, a thing of beauty is created collectively with everybody getting to express an idea. And that reflects what democratic society is – or should be.

I think we musicians are emissaries. Every time we go before the public, we’re there to make converts.

I decided that I would be one of the biggest new names; and I actually had some little fancy business cards printed up to announce it, ‘Count Basie. Beware, the Count is Here.

Music is your experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn.

Rather than say I play Jazz, I simply say I play music.

We made records to document ourselves, not to sell a lot of records. I still feel that way. I put out a record because I think it’s beautiful, not necessarily commercial.

Mary Lou Williams used to tell me: If you’re not feeling right, play a minor tune and it falls into place.