Knows Quotes by Branford Marsalis

I like to make records sound good. I'm more like a reducer than a producer. If an artist cannot produce themselves, what's the point?

— Branford Marsalis

You hear it in your brain. Whatever makes sense. Some songs work well as quartet songs, sometimes they don't.

— Branford Marsalis

That's kind of like how jazz is sometimes. You're out there predicting the future, and no one believes you.

— Branford Marsalis

There's a certain kind of motion and pacing that our music has, and this just doesn't have that. We just kind of rushed to…

— Branford Marsalis

We played it as long as we could play it on that CD and I think it might be 50 minutes, maybe. What you…

— Branford Marsalis

The piano is the X factor. People have a tough time following the structures when there's no piano there, spelling it out. It makes…

— Branford Marsalis

If I were like a lot of other people, then it wouldn't be fun; but since I'm like me, it's okay.

— Branford Marsalis

The biggest problem with American music right now, is that kids don't listen. They come by it honestly, Americans don't listen anyway. When people…

— Branford Marsalis

What is jazz? It, It's almost like asking, What is French? Jazz is a musical language. It's a musical dialect that actually embodies the…

— Branford Marsalis

Everybody talks about finding your voice. Do your homework and your voice will find you.

— Branford Marsalis

I'm not going to play funk licks on a jazz album. That makes no sense.

— Branford Marsalis

Pop doesn't really look back. It can't. What makes pop work is simplicity.

— Branford Marsalis