--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What basketball expresses is what jazz…" description: "\"What basketball expresses is what jazz expresses. Certain cultural predispositions to make art. All African-American art has a substratum, or baseline,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a41/john-edgar-wideman-7347_art_what-basketball-expresses-is-what-jazz-e_1534893.jpg" --- # What basketball expresses is what jazz expresses. Certain… ![“What basketball expresses is what jazz expresses. Certain cultural predispositions to make art. All African-American art has a substratum, or baseline, of improvisation and spontaneity. You find that in both basketball and jazz.” quote by John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a41/john-edgar-wideman-7347_art_what-basketball-expresses-is-what-jazz-e_1534893.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a41/john-edgar-wideman-7347_art_what-basketball-expresses-is-what-jazz-e_1534893.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a41/john-edgar-wideman-7347_art_what-basketball-expresses-is-what-jazz-e_1534893.jpg) > “What basketball expresses is what jazz expresses. Certain cultural predispositions to make art. All African-American art has a substratum, or baseline, of improvisation and spontaneity. You find that in both basketball and jazz.” [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Both basketball and jazz share improvisational roots, reflecting African‑American cultural emphasis on spontaneity and creative expression. **In simple terms:** Basketball and jazz both improvise. Key Takeaway Embrace improvisation in your work. Themes culture improvisation art sports music Mood reflective inspired Type observational comparative When to use this quote - team sports - musical performance - creative workshops - community events Key Concepts African‑American heritage creative flow spontaneity Questions to Reflect On - How does improvisation enhance teamwork? - When does spontaneity hinder performance? A Different Perspective Improvisation can clash with structured rules or expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/) [Basketball Expresses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball-expresses-5703467/) [Basketball Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball-jazz-5703468/) [Expresses Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expresses-jazz-5703466/) [Find](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/find/) [Improvisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improvisation/) [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Jazz Expresses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz-expresses-4640505/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [“In a society of increasingly mass-produced, assembly-line entertainment, where every individual is treated like an empty pitcher to be filled from above, jazz retains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-stearns/in-a-society-of-increasingly-mass-produced-assembly-line/) [Marshall Stearns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-stearns/) > [Remember that a book is many drafts - mine certainly are. It's improvisation. It's as much jazz and the way we talk and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/remember-that-a-book-is-many-drafts-mine-certainly-are-it-s/) [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) > [Improvisation was the blood and bone of jazz, and in the classic, New Orleans jazz it was collective improvisation in which each performer, seemingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/improvisation-was-the-blood-and-bone-of-jazz-and-in-the-classic-new/) [Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/) > [That's what it is-it's jazz. It's just jazz. That's what the whole thing is about to me. It's about what's happening right now in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/that-s-what-it-is-it-s-jazz-it-s-just-jazz-that-s-what-the-whole/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [And more than anything, I like the improvisation of jazz. That's the same thing with DJ-ing. 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I like sharing focus and populating an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mantzoukas/maybe-it-s-just-my-improv-and-sketch-background-but-i-m-a-lot-more/) [Jason Mantzoukas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mantzoukas/) > [When you do improv, you're everything. You're a performer, writer, and director, because you're moving the scene in the direction you want it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-reiner/when-you-do-improv-you-re-everything-you-re-a-performer-writer-and/) [Rob Reiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-reiner/) > [With improvisation, I just do it. It might be a total failure but then you just throw the dice again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-marclay/with-improvisation-i-just-do-it-it-might-be-a-total-failure-but-then/) [Christian Marclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-marclay/) > [The biggest thing that comes out of improv that gets built on is just character traits. You know, for me the singing was born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/the-biggest-thing-that-comes-out-of-improv-that-gets-built-on-is-just/) [Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/) > ['Sicario' was a lot of improvisation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kaluuya/sicario-was-a-lot-of-improvisation/) [Daniel Kaluuya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kaluuya/) > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) ## More by John Edgar Wideman > [My mother loved my father. From my view, she let him get away with too much. 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