--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I were to call it black music, that…" description: "\"If I were to call it black music, that would be untrue. I don't know what that is, unless it would be some African drums or something.\" — Dexter Gordon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/dexter-gordon-27763_african_if-i-were-to-call-it-black-music-that-wo_248140.png" --- # If I were to call it black music, that would be untrue. I… ![“If I were to call it black music, that would be untrue. I don't know what that is, unless it would be some African drums or something.” quote by Dexter Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/dexter-gordon-27763_african_if-i-were-to-call-it-black-music-that-wo_248140.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/dexter-gordon-27763_african_if-i-were-to-call-it-black-music-that-wo_248140.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/dexter-gordon-27763_african_if-i-were-to-call-it-black-music-that-wo_248140.png) > “If I were to call it black music, that would be untrue. I don't know what that is, unless it would be some African drums or something.” [Dexter Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-gordon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acknowledges that labeling music by race is inaccurate and oversimplifies its diversity. **In simple terms:** Music can't be neatly categorized by race. Key Takeaway Avoid stereotypes in describing music. Themes music culture identity stereotypes diversity Mood thoughtful analytical Type observational critical When to use this quote - music criticism - educational workshops - cross‑cultural collaborations - media interviews Key Concepts race genre cultural perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you describe music without race? - What influences shape your musical taste? A Different Perspective Music's emotional impact transcends racial labels. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-music/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Unfaithful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfaithful/) ## Related quotes > [Never have a picture of a well-adjusted African on the cover of your book, or in it, unless that African has won the Nobel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/binyavanga-wainaina/never-have-a-picture-of-a-well-adjusted-african-on-the-cover-of-your/) [Binyavanga Wainaina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/binyavanga-wainaina/) > [“My lips swelled with red freshness, my chest heaved proudly with a pair of pointed African drums, my face tempted with its sweetness like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-d-gonsalves/my-lips-swelled-with-red-freshness-my-chest-heaved-proudly-with-a/) [Gloria D. Gonsalves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-d-gonsalves/) > [My play Safe Sex was picked apart because critics thought it was untrue. It was a play in which no one had AIDS, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-fierstein/my-play-safe-sex-was-picked-apart-because-critics-thought-it-was/) [Harvey Fierstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-fierstein/) > [The repeated announcements that the Russian resistance was definitely broken have been proved to be untrue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-schacht/the-repeated-announcements-that-the-russian-resistance-was-definitely/) [Hjalmar Schacht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-schacht/) > [Everywhere you go you hear things that are untrue. You've just got to learn that if I don't say it, physically out of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selena-gomez/everywhere-you-go-you-hear-things-that-are-untrue-you-ve-just-got-to/) [Selena Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selena-gomez/) > [A great many things have been pronounced untrue and absurd, and even impossible, by the highest authorities in the age in which they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-crowe/a-great-many-things-have-been-pronounced-untrue-and-absurd-and-even/) [Catherine Crowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-crowe/) > [I wish, naturally to prevent the possibility that someone may write an accidental, superficial, incomplete and perhaps untrue picture of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-veidt/i-wish-naturally-to-prevent-the-possibility-that-someone-may-write-an/) [Conrad Veidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-veidt/) > [I dont know anybody who can define it. Its like trying to define hip-hop. You cant just call it black music. Maybe it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cornelius/i-dont-know-anybody-who-can-define-it-its-like-trying-to-define-hip/) [Don Cornelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cornelius/) > [In 1965, when great young white artists in the English-speaking world were successfully re-channeling hillbilly and black music - you know Bob Dylan, Ray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/in-1965-when-great-young-white-artists-in-the-english-speaking-world/) [Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/) > [I have a very simple mantra and it's this: I want to make black cinema with the power, beauty, and alienation of black music.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-jafa/i-have-a-very-simple-mantra-and-it-s-this-i-want-to-make-black-cinema/) [Arthur Jafa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-jafa/) > [Between Alan Freed in Cleveland and Bob Horn and Lee Stewart in Philadelphia and George 'Hound Dog' Lorenz in Buffalo, they began to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-clark/between-alan-freed-in-cleveland-and-bob-horn-and-lee-stewart-in/) [Dick Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-clark/) > [I had written a tune called 'Shake, Rattle and Roll,' but the white stations refused to play it - they thought it was low-class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-stone/i-had-written-a-tune-called-shake-rattle-and-roll-but-the-white/) [Jesse Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-stone/) > [Anybody under the age of forty knows hip-hop, gospel and R&B pretty well, and it's all a part of what we consider to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/anybody-under-the-age-of-forty-knows-hip-hop-gospel-and-r-b-pretty/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [I'd like to see more crossover between white and black music. That's something I've been advocating for years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-hall/i-d-like-to-see-more-crossover-between-white-and-black-music-that-s/) [Daryl Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-hall/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) Frank B. Wilderson III ## More by Dexter Gordon > [Music is a reservoir... of sounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-gordon/music-is-a-reservoir-of-sounds/) [Dexter Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-gordon/) > [If you can't play the Blues you might as well hang it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-gordon/if-you-can-t-play-the-blues-you-might-as-well-hang-it-up/) [Dexter Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-gordon/) > [It's certainly not just a spot opinion; it's something that obviously has been building up for years. It is also very good for publicity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-gordon/it-s-certainly-not-just-a-spot-opinion-it-s-something-that-obviously/) [Dexter Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-gordon/) > [To have a little recognition, that is very nice, you dig. It is good for the ego, for the psyche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-gordon/to-have-a-little-recognition-that-is-very-nice-you-dig-it-is-good-for/) [Dexter Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-gordon/) > [A lot of times I go back to record and to make a tour, but I'm very happy to do it, because it gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-gordon/a-lot-of-times-i-go-back-to-record-and-to-make-a-tour-but-i-m-very/) [Dexter Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-gordon/) > [Bebop is the music of the future (as soon as they learn how to play it).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-gordon/bebop-is-the-music-of-the-future-as-soon-as-they-learn-how-to-play-it/) [Dexter Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-gordon/) > [In jazz, there is a lot of European influence harmonically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-gordon/in-jazz-there-is-a-lot-of-european-influence-harmonically/) [Dexter Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-gordon/) > [When you know the lyrics to a tune, you have some kind of insight as to it's composition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-gordon/when-you-know-the-lyrics-to-a-tune-you-have-some-kind-of-insight-as/) [Dexter Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-gordon/) > [Darlin... be-bop is the music of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-gordon/darlin-be-bop-is-the-music-of-the-future/) [Dexter Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-gordon/) > [Jazz to me is a living music. It's a music that since its beginning has expressed the feelings, the dreams, hopes, of the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-gordon/jazz-to-me-is-a-living-music-it-s-a-music-that-since-its-beginning/) [Dexter Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-gordon/) > [What I'm doing, I prefer to call that jazz, because it is a beautiful word - I love it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-gordon/what-i-m-doing-i-prefer-to-call-that-jazz-because-it-is-a-beautiful/) [Dexter Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-gordon/) > [Jazz to me is a living music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-gordon/jazz-to-me-is-a-living-music/) [Dexter Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-gordon/) > [When you know the lyrics to a tune, you have some kind of insight as to it's composition. If you don't understand what it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-gordon/when-you-know-the-lyrics-to-a-tune-you-have-some-kind-of-insight-as-2/) [Dexter Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-gordon/) > [I hope we left you with something to put under your pillows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-gordon/i-hope-we-left-you-with-something-to-put-under-your-pillows/) [Dexter Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-gordon/) > [Jazz is an octopus. It will take whatever it can use and it will work with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-gordon/jazz-is-an-octopus-it-will-take-whatever-it-can-use-and-it-will-work/) [Dexter Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-gordon/) [Explore all 20 Dexter Gordon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-gordon/) ## More African quotes > [We examine and highlight the history of the African descendants in America, and know that each and every one of us has come this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvette-clarke/we-examine-and-highlight-the-history-of-the-african-descendants-in/) [Yvette Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvette-clarke/) > [I'm just trying to touch the world and touch the people and just get good material. And show them that we can get it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/i-m-just-trying-to-touch-the-world-and-touch-the-people-and-just-get/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Virtually all of Darfur's six million residents are Muslim, and, because of decades of intermarriage, almost everyone has dark skin and African features.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-power/virtually-all-of-darfur-s-six-million-residents-are-muslim-and/) [Samantha Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-power/) > [I loved Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi. Its about a first-generation African family living in America that has to return home to Nigeria…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzo-aduba/i-loved-ghana-must-go-by-taiye-selasi-its-about-a-first-generation/) [Uzo Aduba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzo-aduba/) > [I was adopted my black Americans, I feel that I'm a 'Hybrid'. When I'm around Africans'I suddenly feel very black American. And when I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kola-boof/i-was-adopted-my-black-americans-i-feel-that-i-m-a-hybrid-when-i-m/) [Kola Boof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kola-boof/) > [I concentrate on the southern African subcontinent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-dennis/i-concentrate-on-the-southern-african-subcontinent/) [Nigel Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-dennis/) > ['Yo I'm from Africa' Boy you're just a faker. Name one city: 'Uhh, Jamaica!' Wrong! And I think that's a shame, An African look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-sun/yo-i-m-from-africa-boy-you-re-just-a-faker-name-one-city-uhh-jamaica/) King Sun > [I am of an African-Jamaican descent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-mitchell/i-am-of-an-african-jamaican-descent/) [Liz Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-mitchell/) > [When I was very little, I was into Michael Jackson. At six or seven, it was Madonna, but she's not what she used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lykke-li/when-i-was-very-little-i-was-into-michael-jackson-at-six-or-seven-it/) [Lykke Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lykke-li/) > [Football is a personal interest which has been turned into a philanthropic initiative directed at encouraging social cohesion during the difficult process of African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-hussein-al-amoudi/football-is-a-personal-interest-which-has-been-turned-into-a/) Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi > [But we've all ended up giving body and soul to Africa, one way or another. Even Adah, who's becoming an expert in tropical epidemiology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/but-we-ve-all-ended-up-giving-body-and-soul-to-africa-one-way-or/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [African Queen' is pretty darn great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-eggers/african-queen-is-pretty-darn-great/) [Robert Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-eggers/) > [Most Americans know nothing about the African forest, and it seems to them a very scary, spooky dangerous place. I've spent a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/most-americans-know-nothing-about-the-african-forest-and-it-seems-to/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) Browse all 576 African quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I were to call it black music, that would be untrue. 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