Todd Boyd

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

It’s like a whole orchestra, the piano for me.

Once we’re inside a tune, we can do anything with it.

I see my body as an instrument, rather than an ornament.

I try to practice with my life.

I remember Elvis as a young man hanging around the Sun Studios. Even then, I knew this kid had a tremendous talent. He was a dynamic young boy. His phraseology, his way of looking at a song, was as unique as Sinatra’s. I was a tremendous fan, and had Elvis lived, there would have been no end to his inventiveness.

I think the one thing that I’ve learned is that you cannot predict what’s going to happen. You can’t sit back and try to figure out what people want or leave it up to them to decide. When we all started in this business we would dictate to the audience what was great and they picked up on that based on the fact that we believed that it was great. But that’s all changed. What’s happened in the last ten years or so because is that the technology now means that everyone with a computer can make music and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.

For years the Trio did nothing but play for musicians and other hip people. We practically starved to death.

I can’t sing it straight. I have no choice but to swing it.

Always look ahead, but never look back.

Blues is a tonic for whatever ails you. I could play the blues and then not be blue anymore.

I don’t pop my cork for every man I see.

I think I should have no other mortal wants, if I could always have plenty of music.

There are wonderful things in Jazz, the improvisation, the liveliness, the being at one with the audience.

Technique is the ability to translate your ideas into sound through your instrument. This is a comprehensive technique . . . a feeling for the keyboard that will allow you to transfer any emotional utterance into it. What has to happen is that you develop a comprehensive technique and then say, forget that. I’m just going to be expressive through the piano.

If you can’t play the blues, you might as well hang it up.