If you have music you want to play that no one asks you to play, you have to go out and find… — Steve Lacy Copy Share Image
Some people really want to play Mozart and be just performers. I was more interested in invention. — Steve Lacy Copy Share Image
In composition you have all the time you want to decide what to say in 15 seconds, in improvisation you have 15 seconds. — Steve Lacy Copy Share Image
People don't want to suffer. They want to sound good immediately, and this is one of the biggest problems in the world. — Steve Lacy Copy Share Image
Jazz is like wine. When it is new it's only for the experts, but when it gets older everybody wants it. — Steve Lacy Copy Share Image
Kenny G, I have to be grateful to him for proving that the instrument can be played all different kinds of ways. — Steve Lacy Copy Share Image
Circumstances can be very important. Find the right people to work with. — Steve Lacy Copy Share Image
The more original something is, the more of a threat it seems until the people catch up with it. That happened with Thelonious Monk.… — Steve Lacy Copy Share Image
If you're trying to invent something new, you're going to reach a lot of discouraging points, and most people give up. — Steve Lacy Copy Share Image
Bamboo is not a weed, it's a flowering plant. Bamboo is a magnificent plant. — Steve Lacy Copy Share Image
There is an awful lot of what I call recreational jazz going on, where people go out and learn a particular language or style… — Steve Lacy Copy Share Image
If you have music you want to play that no one asks you to play, you have to go out and find where you… — Steve Lacy Copy Share Image
When I found the music of Monk I finally found music that fit that horn. Every one of his tunes fit it perfectly. — Steve Lacy Copy Share Image
I've always been extremely lucky in playing with great people who knew much more than I did. That's how I got from there to… — Steve Lacy Copy Share Image
It starts with a single sound. If there's something in that sound, then it's worth continuing. — Steve Lacy Copy Share Image
