I can't stand jazz.

I just can't stand it [jazz/rock]. It just doesn't sound right to me. It doesn't hit me...it doesn't get me...it just doesn't grab me.

— Van Morrison

Jazz today, as always in the past, is a matter of thoughtful creation, not mere unaided instinct.

— Duke Ellington

The thing that is making jazz healthy today is that people are coming out of other backgrounds - from rock, folk, from ethnic music.…

— Billy Taylor

Truth of the matter is, jazz is American music. And that doesn't mean bebop. Jazz is really about improvising. All the music that's been…

— Jaimoe

Man, I just feel so fortunate to be a jazz musician at all. I have a hard time thinking of it any other way.…

— Kurt Elling

I'm a person of change and I must be honest to my artistry and my creativity. That's part of the word 'jazz'... it's an…

— Maynard Ferguson

One of the greatest attributes of jazz, I think, is that it is that open.

— Herbie Hancock

John [Coltrane] was like a visitor to this planet. He came in peace and he left in peace; but during his time here, he…

— Albert Ayler

Trombone virtuoso and innovative composer, Papo combines the best of jazz and Latin music to create a genre that is unique and wild. He's…

— Michael Brecker

I think we've all had enough of Coltrane saxophonists. There's a case of someone ruining a generation of saxophonists, as Louis Armstrong may have…

— Paul Bley

Jazz is the music of the body. The breath comes through brass. It is the body's breath, and the strings' wails and moans are…

— Anais Nin

When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…

— John Tesh

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

— Pat Metheny

I wasn't into jazz so much - I preferred things raw.

— Jimmy Page

When you listen to someone improvise, the notes that are played are only half the story.

— Hubert Laws