--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Funk could very easily be called jazz…" description: "\"Funk could very easily be called jazz, but you call it funk. Does that really matter? People dig that they associate themselves with certain genres, bu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/kamasi-washington-4976_funk_funk-could-very-easily-be-called-jazz-bu_739713.jpg" --- # Funk could very easily be called jazz, but you call it… ![“Funk could very easily be called jazz, but you call it funk. Does that really matter? People dig that they associate themselves with certain genres, but the genres to me are made up things, like an imaginary world.” quote by Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/kamasi-washington-4976_funk_funk-could-very-easily-be-called-jazz-bu_739713.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/kamasi-washington-4976_funk_funk-could-very-easily-be-called-jazz-bu_739713.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/kamasi-washington-4976_funk_funk-could-very-easily-be-called-jazz-bu_739713.jpg) > “Funk could very easily be called jazz, but you call it funk. Does that really matter? People dig that they associate themselves with certain genres, but the genres to me are made up things, like an imaginary world.” [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote questions that genre labels are arbitrary constructs and that the emotional connection to music matters more than classification. **In simple terms:** Genres are made up; feelings matter. Key Takeaway Focus on how music makes you feel, not its label. Themes music identity culture subjectivity Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - concert experiences - personal playlists - music education - cultural discussions Key Concepts genre theory social identity perception Questions to Reflect On - Do you let genre shape your music choices? - How does labeling affect your emotional response? A Different Perspective Labels can help people find community, even if they’re arbitrary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Called Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-jazz-1174295/) [Funk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funk/) [Funk Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funk-does-5778266/) [Funk Easily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funk-easily-5778267/) [Imaginary world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginary-world/) [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Jazz Funk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz-funk-3296522/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I love jazz and funk, because it's hard. If it's not hard, it's not worth doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-carter/i-love-jazz-and-funk-because-it-s-hard-if-it-s-not-hard-it-s-not/) [Chris Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-carter/) > [I started playing with this band, the Polyester Players. It was my introduction into funk. So I went and got a James Brown record.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/i-started-playing-with-this-band-the-polyester-players-it-was-my/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [I once took a ride to the beach in L.A., and all along the shore there were all these so-called jazz places. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-buckley/i-once-took-a-ride-to-the-beach-in-l-a-and-all-along-the-shore-there/) [Jeff Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-buckley/) > [Duke Ellington, Art Tatum, and many other great jazz musicians objected to their music being called jazz. While the outside world may want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/duke-ellington-art-tatum-and-many-other-great-jazz-musicians-objected/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) > [I was very adamant about not being called a jazz singer, but now I've embraced it. The way I approach music is through jazz,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-dee-bridgewater/i-was-very-adamant-about-not-being-called-a-jazz-singer-but-now-i-ve/) [Dee Dee Bridgewater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-dee-bridgewater/) > [and will I like being called a jazz baby? --You will love it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/and-will-i-like-being-called-a-jazz-baby-you-will-love-it/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [I never called myself a jazz singer. I just call myself a vocalist because I love to sing all kinds of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-reeves/i-never-called-myself-a-jazz-singer-i-just-call-myself-a-vocalist/) [Dianne Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianne-reeves/) > [I fear that I won't get better and that I won't have time to practice. To be called a "jazz musician" - it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esperanza-spalding/i-fear-that-i-won-t-get-better-and-that-i-won-t-have-time-to-practice/) [Esperanza Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esperanza-spalding/) > [ I think that band \[Glenn Miller\] was the beginning of the end. It was a mechanized version of what they called jazz music. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/i-think-that-band-glenn-miller-was-the-beginning-of-the-end-it-was-a/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [I never thought that the music called "jazz" was ever meant to reach just a small group of people, or become a museum thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-davis/i-never-thought-that-the-music-called-jazz-was-ever-meant-to-reach/) [Miles Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-davis/) > [I always felt of myself as a composer, performer, improviser. I've never called myself a jazz man. I make art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadada-leo-smith/i-always-felt-of-myself-as-a-composer-performer-improviser-i-ve-never/) [Wadada Leo Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadada-leo-smith/) > [There are a few things that I will hopefully be credited for as a pioneer. One is my four-mallet playing. Another one is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-burton/there-are-a-few-things-that-i-will-hopefully-be-credited-for-as-a/) [Gary Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-burton/) > [I was co-editor of the magazine called The Jazz Review, which was a pioneering magazine because it was the only magazine, then or now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/i-was-co-editor-of-the-magazine-called-the-jazz-review-which-was-a/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [Benny Goodman's band was integrated before baseball. Even before it was physically integrated, music was integrated. Everyone listened to Armstrong and Ellington. The 20s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/benny-goodman-s-band-was-integrated-before-baseball-even-before-it/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [I was a Spanish dancer. I don't mean to put that down, because that was great, too, but nothing like the kind of dancing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/i-was-a-spanish-dancer-i-don-t-mean-to-put-that-down-because-that-was/) [Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/) ## More by Kamasi Washington > [Every day we're here is an opportunity to do what we can to make the world right, to help someone close or far from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/every-day-we-re-here-is-an-opportunity-to-do-what-we-can-to-make-the/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [I was hearing music in my head and trying to play it on the clarinet, but it didn't match.' Then, literally the first day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/i-was-hearing-music-in-my-head-and-trying-to-play-it-on-the-clarinet/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [So much good music has been looked over because of preconceived notions of genre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/so-much-good-music-has-been-looked-over-because-of-preconceived/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [It's either, like, 'Your album was the first jazz album I listened to,' or, like, 'My friend took me to this show, and I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/it-s-either-like-your-album-was-the-first-jazz-album-i-listened-to-or/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [This precious thing of empathy and love and understanding is something we have to hold and appreciate and protect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/this-precious-thing-of-empathy-and-love-and-understanding-is/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [By the time I was about 15, I was out playing gigs and knew I was going to be a musician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/by-the-time-i-was-about-15-i-was-out-playing-gigs-and-knew-i-was/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [We learned at a young age, with our dad, that even if you weren't doing something, you had to look like you were, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/we-learned-at-a-young-age-with-our-dad-that-even-if-you-weren-t-doing/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [West Coast hip hop was the sound of my neighbourhood. It was something I could relate to because it had a sound that felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/west-coast-hip-hop-was-the-sound-of-my-neighbourhood-it-was-something/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [We've played so many places where, if you asked people, 'Do you like jazz?' they would be like, 'Not at all.' But I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/we-ve-played-so-many-places-where-if-you-asked-people-do-you-like/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [In the '80s, a lot of kids, if you were kind of bright, you got bussed to schools out of your community. So you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/in-the-80s-a-lot-of-kids-if-you-were-kind-of-bright-you-got-bussed-to/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [Jazz is like a telescope, and a lot of other music is like a microscope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/jazz-is-like-a-telescope-and-a-lot-of-other-music-is-like-a-microscope/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [At a certain point, when there's a barrier between you and what's right, eventually you have to decide you're not going to allow yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/at-a-certain-point-when-there-s-a-barrier-between-you-and-what-s/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [I started playing drums at three, then piano at five, then clarinet. But it wasn't till I picked up a saxophone aged 13 that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/i-started-playing-drums-at-three-then-piano-at-five-then-clarinet-but/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [You have to dig deep to make great music, and it gets harder and harder. It's a difficult, painful process to reach deep in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/you-have-to-dig-deep-to-make-great-music-and-it-gets-harder-and/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [Fela Kuti blew my mind. His playing is very unorthodox, but I learned how to appreciate that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/fela-kuti-blew-my-mind-his-playing-is-very-unorthodox-but-i-learned/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) [Explore all 104 Kamasi Washington quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) ## More Funk quotes > [I don't do drugs anymore... than, say, the average touring funk band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-don-t-do-drugs-anymore-than-say-the-average-touring-funk-band/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [A good movie can take you out of your dull funk and the hopelessness that so often goes with slipping into a theatre; a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/a-good-movie-can-take-you-out-of-your-dull-funk-and-the-hopelessness/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [ Basically I made her \[ Sara Pocock\] listen to funk music for a good month, a nonstop stream of George Clinton. I was talking… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-vaughn/basically-i-made-her-sara-pocock-listen-to-funk-music-for-a-good/) [Baron Vaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-vaughn/) > [Funk never dies. It is eternal. It just smells a little different from time to time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/funk-never-dies-it-is-eternal-it-just-smells-a-little-different-from/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [One of my strongest memories is my father playing bongos in the living room in Detroit listening to Motown radio. He was this skinny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/one-of-my-strongest-memories-is-my-father-playing-bongos-in-the/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [I can only get my drummer in the winter; he plays with Grand Funk all summer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-seger/i-can-only-get-my-drummer-in-the-winter-he-plays-with-grand-funk-all/) [Bob Seger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-seger/) > [I have never met one person who likes Grand Funk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/i-have-never-met-one-person-who-likes-grand-funk/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) > [“Those people obviously don't know who I think I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wesley-jr/those-people-obviously-don-t-know-who-i-think-i-am/) [Fred Wesley Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wesley-jr/) > [The tapes we were making would jump around with different styles, just quick parts of different songs. Hip-hop to jazz to funk to whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ad-rock/the-tapes-we-were-making-would-jump-around-with-different-styles-just/) [Ad-Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ad-rock/) > [When I do uptempo songs, I like to bring in the funk and world music and different elements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-hill/when-i-do-uptempo-songs-i-like-to-bring-in-the-funk-and-world-music/) [Judith Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-hill/) > [The Meters are, I think, the most influential group in our time to come out of New Orleans, to have changed and introduced us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scofield/the-meters-are-i-think-the-most-influential-group-in-our-time-to-come/) [John Scofield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scofield/) > [I've played death metal, punk rock, hardcore, funk... I've done it all. And all there really is music and at the end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristian-machado/i-ve-played-death-metal-punk-rock-hardcore-funk-i-ve-done-it-all-and/) [Cristian Machado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristian-machado/) > [Occasionally pick up speed-for 2 minutes, tops-then settle back into your former pace. Sometimes this is all you need to snap out of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-plaatjes/occasionally-pick-up-speed-for-2-minutes-tops-then-settle-back-into/) [Mark Plaatjes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-plaatjes/) > [If you got a booty, you're going to dance to disco, funk, you know, whatever's going on. Funk is going to be involved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clinton/if-you-got-a-booty-you-re-going-to-dance-to-disco-funk-you-know/) [George Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clinton/) > [Add the hippie-rock-drugs atmosphere circa 1970, and you get Clinton's rechristened group Parliament, decked out in weird costumes, singing cosmic lyrics and laying down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-griffin/add-the-hippie-rock-drugs-atmosphere-circa-1970-and-you-get-clinton-s/) [Eddie Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-griffin/) [Browse all 201 Funk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funk/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Funk could very easily be called jazz, but you call it funk. Does that really matter? 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