--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I enjoy playing with a big band…" description: "\"I enjoy playing with a big band occasionally, but it's too restricting; you really don't have a chance to stretch out and do what you want to do. Getti..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5d/art-pepper-61398_band_i-enjoy-playing-with-a-big-band-occasion_1691528.jpg" --- # I enjoy playing with a big band occasionally, but it's too… ![“I enjoy playing with a big band occasionally, but it's too restricting; you really don't have a chance to stretch out and do what you want to do. Getting that thing of relating to a large band is great experience; I relate much better, though, if it's a small band.” quote by Art Pepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5d/art-pepper-61398_band_i-enjoy-playing-with-a-big-band-occasion_1691528.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5d/art-pepper-61398_band_i-enjoy-playing-with-a-big-band-occasion_1691528.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5d/art-pepper-61398_band_i-enjoy-playing-with-a-big-band-occasion_1691528.jpg) > “I enjoy playing with a big band occasionally, but it's too restricting; you really don't have a chance to stretch out and do what you want to do. Getting that thing of relating to a large band is great experience; I relate much better, though, if it's a small band.” [Art Pepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-pepper/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Playing with a big band feels limiting; small groups allow more personal expression. **In simple terms:** Large ensembles can restrict individual freedom; small groups foster creativity. Key Takeaway Choose settings that match your artistic needs. Themes music creativity collaboration Mood nostalgic thoughtful Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - jazz performance - recording sessions - rehearsals - musical composition Key Concepts band size improvisation artistic freedom Questions to Reflect On - When do you prefer a large ensemble? - How can you bring personal flair to a big band? A Different Perspective Big bands can offer valuable experience despite constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/band/) [Band Occasionally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/band-occasionally-1060032/) [Big band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-band/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy/) [Great experiences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-experiences/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Large Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large-band-1060031/) [Relate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relate/) [Small Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-band-1060033/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [What you want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/what-you-want/) ## Related quotes > [The Smashing Pumpkins was never meant to be a small band. It was going to either be a big band, or a no band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-corgan/the-smashing-pumpkins-was-never-meant-to-be-a-small-band-it-was-going/) [Billy Corgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-corgan/) > [The first time I toured with the 'Large Band' in 1988, I got so tired. If I just stood still anywhere, I could go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyle-lovett/the-first-time-i-toured-with-the-large-band-in-1988-i-got-so-tired-if/) [Lyle Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyle-lovett/) > [Even when we were at that point when we had very few fans, we never felt like a small band. We always felt like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zacky-vengeance/even-when-we-were-at-that-point-when-we-had-very-few-fans-we-never/) [Zacky Vengeance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zacky-vengeance/) > [Nothing surpasses my performances with small bands, especially with Charlie Parker. A small band doesn't forestall creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dizzy-gillespie/nothing-surpasses-my-performances-with-small-bands-especially-with/) [Dizzy Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dizzy-gillespie/) > [During my college days, me and a bunch of close friends had formed a small band. We would perform during the college fest and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonu-sood/during-my-college-days-me-and-a-bunch-of-close-friends-had-formed-a/) [Sonu Sood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonu-sood/) > ['A Small Band' was commissioned for the facade of the Central Pavilion at the Fifty-Sixth Venice Biennale in 2013.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/a-small-band-was-commissioned-for-the-facade-of-the-central-pavilion/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [This is going to sound really corny, but it's the way I feel: Musicians have been around for a really long time. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-sheff/this-is-going-to-sound-really-corny-but-it-s-the-way-i-feel-musicians/) [Will Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-sheff/) > [I think one of the thing that makes a Kubrick film a great experience is the fact that he bends reality to his will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ptolemy/i-think-one-of-the-thing-that-makes-a-kubrick-film-a-great-experience/) [Barry Ptolemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ptolemy/) > [Working with them was a great experience. Victor Garber, Stephen McHattie and Ray Liotta - they were all bang-up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-vandervoort/working-with-them-was-a-great-experience-victor-garber-stephen/) [Laura Vandervoort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-vandervoort/) > [The real goal of a spiritual tradition should not be ascent, but openness, vulnerability, and this does not require great experiences but, on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-berman/the-real-goal-of-a-spiritual-tradition-should-not-be-ascent-but/) [Morris Berman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-berman/) > [Sometimes if the people are up for trying something that I'm interested in, it can be a great experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-anderson/sometimes-if-the-people-are-up-for-trying-something-that-i-m/) [Wes Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-anderson/) > [In the deep, unwritten wisdom of life there are many things to be learned that cannot be taught. We never know them by hearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hope/in-the-deep-unwritten-wisdom-of-life-there-are-many-things-to-be/) [Anthony Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hope/) > [Basketball is great and so much fun, and it has taken me to so many places. I've been in the public eye a lot,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmer-fredette/basketball-is-great-and-so-much-fun-and-it-has-taken-me-to-so-many/) [Jimmer Fredette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmer-fredette/) > [I think you gotta have balls to be an Avenged fan sometimes. A lot of our fans get hated on just as much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-shadows/i-think-you-gotta-have-balls-to-be-an-avenged-fan-sometimes-a-lot-of/) [M. Shadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-shadows/) > [ Walter \[Hill\] basically brought me into that \["Wild Bill Hickok"\], and it was one of the great experiences. It was extraordinary stuff. He wrote… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carradine/walter-hill-basically-brought-me-into-that-wild-bill-hickok-and-it/) [Keith Carradine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carradine/) ## More by Art Pepper > [Without (my wife) Laurie, I would never be here right now, I know that. I would either be in a coffin, or stashed away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-pepper/without-my-wife-laurie-i-would-never-be-here-right-now-i-know-that-i/) [Art Pepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-pepper/) > [Alto (saxophone) is just a very hard instrument; there's so few people that play it really well. I feel it's the best one, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-pepper/alto-saxophone-is-just-a-very-hard-instrument-there-s-so-few-people/) [Art Pepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-pepper/) > [“I guess it's like James Joyce when he was a kid, you know. He hung out with all the great writers of the day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-pepper/i-guess-it-s-like-james-joyce-when-he-was-a-kid-you-know-he-hung-out/) [Art Pepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-pepper/) > [The way so many musicians slavishly imitated Coltrane, that's the way it was with Charlie Parker - only even more so, if that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-pepper/the-way-so-many-musicians-slavishly-imitated-coltrane-that-s-the-way/) [Art Pepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-pepper/) [Explore all 5 Art Pepper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-pepper/) ## More Band quotes > [The reason I was drawn to the Band Perry was because they have a knack for doing rollicking country music that can sound a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/the-reason-i-was-drawn-to-the-band-perry-was-because-they-have-a/) [Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [There is something to be said though when you have 4 or 5 guys playing with no net, there is a sense of urgency,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-mendoza/there-is-something-to-be-said-though-when-you-have-4-or-5-guys/) [Marco Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-mendoza/) > [My Nirvana experience was much different than the other three guys. For me, it was really new and exciting. I was just a guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-smear/my-nirvana-experience-was-much-different-than-the-other-three-guys/) [Pat Smear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-smear/) > [I think my music has always been a mixture, depending on whom I'm working with - what band, what musicians, what producer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matisyahu/i-think-my-music-has-always-been-a-mixture-depending-on-whom-i-m/) [Matisyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matisyahu/) > [As you'll never hear the thing again, my boy, why not throw in a couple of brass bands?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-beecham/as-you-ll-never-hear-the-thing-again-my-boy-why-not-throw-in-a-couple/) [Thomas Beecham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-beecham/) > [I've always made sure that I tour with bands that people aren't expecting me to tour with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayer-hawthorne/i-ve-always-made-sure-that-i-tour-with-bands-that-people-aren-t/) [Mayer Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayer-hawthorne/) > [There is more to me than just having been in the Runaways. And even though I'm really, really proud of what the band accomplished,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-fuchs/there-is-more-to-me-than-just-having-been-in-the-runaways-and-even/) [Jackie Fuchs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-fuchs/) > [I like the bad-boy types. Generally the guy I'm attracted to is the guy in the club with all the tattoos and nail polish.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/i-like-the-bad-boy-types-generally-the-guy-i-m-attracted-to-is-the/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [Bass guitar is the engine of the band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzi-quatro/bass-guitar-is-the-engine-of-the-band/) [Suzi Quatro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzi-quatro/) > [I just became accustomed to being all the members of the band. That was something that was really exciting to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-collier/i-just-became-accustomed-to-being-all-the-members-of-the-band-that/) [Jacob Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-collier/) > [I guess because we're essentially a two-man band, we're attracting Wham's crowd. But Wham! are more of a businessman's band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curt-smith/i-guess-because-we-re-essentially-a-two-man-band-we-re-attracting/) [Curt Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curt-smith/) > [I'm about as privileged as you can get. I'm a white, male, heterosexual front man of a rock band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-reynolds/i-m-about-as-privileged-as-you-can-get-i-m-a-white-male-heterosexual/) [Dan Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-reynolds/) > [I'd been playing in bands for something like seven years at this point. And we were always trying to get ahead, trying to rehearse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aerosmith/i-d-been-playing-in-bands-for-something-like-seven-years-at-this/) [Aerosmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aerosmith/) > [Metallica's the only band i've ever been in. I'm not sure that when it ends in five, ten years, I'm going to put an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-ulrich/metallica-s-the-only-band-i-ve-ever-been-in-i-m-not-sure-that-when-it/) [Lars Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-ulrich/) [Browse all 6,497 Band quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/band/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I enjoy playing with a big band occasionally, but it's too restricting; you really don't have a chance to stretch out and do what you want to do. 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