I wanted to be a pianist but it just wasn't my thing. I guess I wanted to stand up rather than sit down. — Steve Lacy Copy Share Image
We played for peanuts. But we did what we wanted to do, we heard what we wanted to hear, we performed what we wanted to perform, we learned what we wanted to learn. — 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
