--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All bad jazz sounds like Woody Woodpecker." description: "\"All bad jazz sounds like Woody Woodpecker.\" — Leo Kottke" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2b/leo-kottke-17569_jazz_all-bad-jazz-sounds-like-woody-woodpecke_1760290.png" --- # All bad jazz sounds like Woody Woodpecker. ![“All bad jazz sounds like Woody Woodpecker.” quote by Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2b/leo-kottke-17569_jazz_all-bad-jazz-sounds-like-woody-woodpecke_1760290.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2b/leo-kottke-17569_jazz_all-bad-jazz-sounds-like-woody-woodpecke_1760290.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2b/leo-kottke-17569_jazz_all-bad-jazz-sounds-like-woody-woodpecke_1760290.png) > “All bad jazz sounds like Woody Woodpecker.” [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The critic dismisses certain jazz as noisy and cartoonish, reflecting a personal taste bias. **In simple terms:** Bad jazz sounds like a cartoon. Key Takeaway Explore varied jazz styles. Themes music criticism personal taste genre perception Mood playful opinionated Type musical subjective When to use this quote - concert attendance - music education - listening sessions - record collecting Key Concepts subjectivity stereotyping Questions to Reflect On - What defines "bad" music? - Can bias limit appreciation? A Different Perspective Taste is subjective; others may enjoy that style. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Woodpeckers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woodpeckers/) ## Related quotes > [Somewhere lives a bad Cajun cook, just as somewhere must live one last ivory-billed woodpecker. For me, I don't expect ever to encounter either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-least-heat-moon/somewhere-lives-a-bad-cajun-cook-just-as-somewhere-must-live-one-last/) [William Least Heat-Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-least-heat-moon/) > [The day should come when all of the forms of life... will stand before the court - the pileated woodpecker as well as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/the-day-should-come-when-all-of-the-forms-of-life-will-stand-before/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [If only, if only," the woodpecker sighs, "The bark on the tree was as soft as the skies." While the wolf waits below, hungry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-sachar/if-only-if-only-the-woodpecker-sighs-the-bark-on-the-tree-was-as-soft/) [Louis Sachar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-sachar/) > [If we built houses the way we build software, the first woodpecker to come along would destroy civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/if-we-built-houses-the-way-we-build-software-the-first-woodpecker-to/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [“Hey, it could be worse," Hammond said of their efforts to protect the woodpecker. "It could be a butterfly." Butterflies were easy, I said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-roman/hey-it-could-be-worse-hammond-said-of-their-efforts-to-protect-the/) [Joe Roman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-roman/) > [As the woodpecker taps in a spiral quest From the root to the top of the tree, Then flies to another tree, So have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-lanier/as-the-woodpecker-taps-in-a-spiral-quest-from-the-root-to-the-top-of/) [Sidney Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-lanier/) > [A woodpecker's drilling Echoes To the mountain clouds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dakotsu-iida/a-woodpecker-s-drilling-echoes-to-the-mountain-clouds/) Dakotsu Iida > [And yet the real success goes to those who obsess. The focus that leads you through the Dip to the other side is rewarded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/and-yet-the-real-success-goes-to-those-who-obsess-the-focus-that/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [“I want to tell Caz – also a redhead – that I have finally found her another role model, aside from Woody Woodpecker, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/i-want-to-tell-caz-also-a-redhead-that-i-have-finally-found-her/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [I always tell people that, just to be a bad jazz musician, you have to be better than most musicians. The worst jazz musicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-glasper/i-always-tell-people-that-just-to-be-a-bad-jazz-musician-you-have-to/) [Robert Glasper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-glasper/) > [The bad jazz that a cat blows wails long after he’s cut out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-buckley/the-bad-jazz-that-a-cat-blows-wails-long-after-he-s-cut-out/) [Lord Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-buckley/) > [“I don't get jazz. It always sounds like a bunch of toddlers let loose in a music room.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/i-don-t-get-jazz-it-always-sounds-like-a-bunch-of-toddlers-let-loose/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [Maybe a part of me recognized how right the improvising spirit of jazz is. Not the sounds, but the freedom to work with musicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-siberry/maybe-a-part-of-me-recognized-how-right-the-improvising-spirit-of/) [Jane Siberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-siberry/) > [To my ears, jazz sounds better in warm weather and after the sun has gone down. While I will listen to some of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/to-my-ears-jazz-sounds-better-in-warm-weather-and-after-the-sun-has/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I'm not like Woody Allen like, "Oh my god what's going to happen? Ooh Ooh Oohhh." I'm just high-strung. So I do need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/i-m-not-like-woody-allen-like-oh-my-god-what-s-going-to-happen-ooh/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) ## More by Leo Kottke > [I seem to find different material every four to six months and I frequently forget it which is a shame because it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/i-seem-to-find-different-material-every-four-to-six-months-and-i/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [I have always thought of myself as a performer first and way down the line as a recording artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/i-have-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-performer-first-and-way-down-the/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [You can't really tell what the audience wants but you can tell what will keep everybodies attention in the same place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/you-can-t-really-tell-what-the-audience-wants-but-you-can-tell-what/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [The first music I was exposed to was Stravinsky and I loved it but I don't remember it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/the-first-music-i-was-exposed-to-was-stravinsky-and-i-loved-it-but-i/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [You can't really tell what the audience wants but you can tell what will keep everybody's attention in the same place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/you-can-t-really-tell-what-the-audience-wants-but-you-can-tell-what-2/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [I will literally open my mouth not knowing what is coming out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/i-will-literally-open-my-mouth-not-knowing-what-is-coming-out/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [I think if you are writing an instrumental you are dealing with more of an aesthetic in a sense but a lyric is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/i-think-if-you-are-writing-an-instrumental-you-are-dealing-with-more/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [Musically, I am still hooked and just hypnotized by the sound of the guitar itself. I mean, a guitar sounds good if you drop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/musically-i-am-still-hooked-and-just-hypnotized-by-the-sound-of-the/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [With all these great (guitar teachers) around here, don't cop their licks, COP THEIR ATTITUDE.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/with-all-these-great-guitar-teachers-around-here-don-t-cop-their/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [I don't spend a lot of time thinking of what they'll do musically, I try to imagine being locked into a windowless room with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/i-don-t-spend-a-lot-of-time-thinking-of-what-they-ll-do-musically-i/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [I do have a library of events I can talk about and I always expect to find a different point of view on it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/i-do-have-a-library-of-events-i-can-talk-about-and-i-always-expect-to/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [The bulk of my set is instrumental and you have to give yourself and the audience some relief because a performance is not about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/the-bulk-of-my-set-is-instrumental-and-you-have-to-give-yourself-and/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [We spent a lot of time on that record with the sound and recorded it on the Paramount sound stage which is this huge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/we-spent-a-lot-of-time-on-that-record-with-the-sound-and-recorded-it/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [That was when I found out that you could talk to them and it was a whole other way to blow your stack, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/that-was-when-i-found-out-that-you-could-talk-to-them-and-it-was-a/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [There are nights when you can feel stale because you've fallen into a pattern by touring too much, but it's easy to get out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/there-are-nights-when-you-can-feel-stale-because-you-ve-fallen-into-a/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) [Explore all 37 Leo Kottke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) ## More Jazz quotes > [When you listen to someone improvise, the notes that are played are only half the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-laws/when-you-listen-to-someone-improvise-the-notes-that-are-played-are/) Hubert Laws > [I wasn't into jazz so much - I preferred things raw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-page/i-wasn-t-into-jazz-so-much-i-preferred-things-raw/) [Jimmy Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-page/) > [Growing up in Iceland, it was very beautiful, very safe, but quite isolated. There was something about jazz music that had a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laufey/growing-up-in-iceland-it-was-very-beautiful-very-safe-but-quite/) [Laufey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laufey/) > [I didn't plan on rock-n-roll. I wanted to learn jazz; I got to know some people doing rock-n-roll with jazz, and I thought I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robby-krieger/i-didn-t-plan-on-rock-n-roll-i-wanted-to-learn-jazz-i-got-to-know/) [Robby Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robby-krieger/) > [Jazz is not something that can be defined through blunt instruments. It is much more poetic than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/jazz-is-not-something-that-can-be-defined-through-blunt-instruments/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) > [Jazz is the music of the body. The breath comes through brass. It is the body's breath, and the strings' wails and moans are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/jazz-is-the-music-of-the-body-the-breath-comes-through-brass-it-is/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Bruce Katz is a spectacular talent! He's a brilliant composer and arranger who uses uncommon and unique musical intelligence to redefine jazz and blues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-coryell/bruce-katz-is-a-spectacular-talent-he-s-a-brilliant-composer-and/) [Larry Coryell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-coryell/) > [I think we've all had enough of Coltrane saxophonists. There's a case of someone ruining a generation of saxophonists, as Louis Armstrong may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bley/i-think-we-ve-all-had-enough-of-coltrane-saxophonists-there-s-a-case/) [Paul Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bley/) > [Where human eyes have never seen, where human beings have never been, I build a world of abstract dreams, and I wait for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-ra/where-human-eyes-have-never-seen-where-human-beings-have-never-been-i/) [Sun Ra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-ra/) > [It's bluesy, rocky jazz. I call it soul music, but it's not James Brown soul music. It comes from my soul. It comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinsel-korey/it-s-bluesy-rocky-jazz-i-call-it-soul-music-but-it-s-not-james-brown/) [Tinsel Korey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinsel-korey/) > [I listen to classical music very much. There's a lot of jazz that I don't enjoy listening to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-konitz/i-listen-to-classical-music-very-much-there-s-a-lot-of-jazz-that-i/) [Lee Konitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-konitz/) > [My influences are jazz, blues, European classical music; they are rock music and pop music. So many kinds of music. World music from different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rokia-traore/my-influences-are-jazz-blues-european-classical-music-they-are-rock/) [Rokia Traore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rokia-traore/) > [Trombone virtuoso and innovative composer, Papo combines the best of jazz and Latin music to create a genre that is unique and wild. He's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-brecker/trombone-virtuoso-and-innovative-composer-papo-combines-the-best-of/) Michael Brecker > [My roots are in classical music and jazz, and I want the freedom of being able to improvise. This freedom is possible only in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adnan-sami/my-roots-are-in-classical-music-and-jazz-and-i-want-the-freedom-of/) [Adnan Sami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adnan-sami/) [Browse all 3,027 Jazz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All bad jazz sounds like Woody Woodpecker.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leo Kottke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/all-bad-jazz-sounds-like-woody-woodpecker/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Jazz" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/all-bad-jazz-sounds-like-woody-woodpecker/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2b/leo-kottke-17569_jazz_all-bad-jazz-sounds-like-woody-woodpecke_1760290.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2b/leo-kottke-17569_jazz_all-bad-jazz-sounds-like-woody-woodpecke_1760290.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2b/leo-kottke-17569_jazz_all-bad-jazz-sounds-like-woody-woodpecke_1760290.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“All bad jazz sounds like Woody Woodpecker.” — Leo Kottke", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Leo Kottke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "All bad jazz sounds like Woody...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/all-bad-jazz-sounds-like-woody-woodpecker/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/all-bad-jazz-sounds-like-woody-woodpecker/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```