Jazz Quotes

1344 Jazz quotes by 630 unique authors

The aim of jazz is the mechanical reproduction of a regressive moment, a castration symbolism. 'Give up your masculinity, let yourself be castrated,' the eunuchlike… — Theodor Adorno
The bad jazz that a cat blows wails long after he’s cut out. — Lord Buckley
Miles Davis fully embraced possibilities and delved into it. He was criticized heavily from the jazz side. He was supposed to be part of a… — Bill Laswell
Well, I think writing is basically about time and rhythm. Like with jazz. You have your basic melody and then you just riff off of… — Kathy Acker
I have learned as much about writing about my people by listening to blues and jazz and spirituals as I have by reading novels. — Ernest Gaines
The philosophy of jazz represents tolerance, teamwork and inclusion. That's what America is about. The music reflects that. — Unknown Author
A jazz musician can improvise based on his knowledge of music. He understands how things go together. For a chef, once you have that basis,… — Charlie Trotter
There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from… — Harry J. Anslinger
The virtuoso element in jazz playing, all those very fast runs in the upper extremes, simply doesn't appeal to me. That's why I don't want… — Gavin Bryars
What is my definition of jazz? "Safe sex of the highest order." — Kurt Vonnegut
The history of all big jazz bands shows was, first they played for dancing, and then they played for singing. — Norman Granz
I also thought of playing improvisational jazz and I did take lessons for a while. At first I tried to write fiction by making up… — Amy Tan
Jazz music is to be played sweet, soft, plenty rhythm. — Jelly Roll Morton
I haven't got a great jazz band and I don't want one. Some of the critics, Down Beat's among them, point their fingers at us… — Glenn Miller
The jazz band's chief stimulus, of course, was the rise of the negro 'blues' and their exploitation by the negro song-writer, W. C. Handy. — Bix Beiderbecke
Jazz is musical humor. The noun jazz describes a modern American technique for the playing of any music, accompanied by noise called harmony, and interpolated… — Bix Beiderbecke
My D'Angelico is a jazz archtop guitar. That guitar was made for Glenn Miller's guitar player in 1939. It's a '39 D'Angelico New Yorker. — Brian Setzer
The jazz chord substitutions in a country song... that was another thing that bent people's ears. I guess that my favorites are the unique ones.… — Brian Setzer
I feel myself trying to be charming, and then I realize I’m obviously trying to be charming, and then I try to be even more… — Gillian Flynn
Basketball, unlike football with its prescribed routes, is an improvisational game, similar to jazz. If someone drops a note, someone else must step into the… — Phil Jackson
I've gotten bored with jazz to the point where I wouldn't mind something bad happening. Slapping hurts, but at some point it'll wake you up.… — Robert Glasper
Jazz is like a big secret club. The mainstream media doesn't pay any attention to it, it's like 1 percent of the music market -… — Robert Glasper
I love most melodic music - classical, reggae, big band, jazz, blues, country, pop, swing, folk. — John Lescroart
I love music, I love all kinds of music, particularly jazz. Jazz is an extension of America. There's no other country in the world that… — Jon Huntsman, Jr.
New York is the dream world, the center of jazz and rock — Gyorgy Ligeti

Who Wrote These Jazz Quotes

630 authors contributed a total of 1,344 Jazz Quotes, led by these top contributors: