--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the things jazz has always…" description: "\"One of the things jazz has always excelled at is translating the reality of the times through its musical prism.\" — Pat Metheny" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/109/pat-metheny-8589_always_one-of-the-things-jazz-has-always-excell_1360171.jpg" --- # One of the things jazz has always excelled at is… ![“One of the things jazz has always excelled at is translating the reality of the times through its musical prism.” quote by Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/109/pat-metheny-8589_always_one-of-the-things-jazz-has-always-excell_1360171.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/109/pat-metheny-8589_always_one-of-the-things-jazz-has-always-excell_1360171.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/109/pat-metheny-8589_always_one-of-the-things-jazz-has-always-excell_1360171.jpg) > “One of the things jazz has always excelled at is translating the reality of the times through its musical prism.” [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Metheny highlights jazz’s ability to reflect contemporary realities through its unique musical expression. **In simple terms:** Jazz translates current reality via music. Key Takeaway Use music to reflect the times. Themes jazz culture expression history Mood reflective analytical Type musical cultural When to use this quote - concerts - education - media commentary Key Concepts improvisation social commentary Questions to Reflect On - How does jazz convey social change? - What makes music a mirror of its era? A Different Perspective Jazz may not capture all societal nuances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Excelled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excelled/) [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [There are wonderful things in Jazz, the improvisation, the liveliness, the being at one with the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/there-are-wonderful-things-in-jazz-the-improvisation-the-liveliness/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [Jazz is not just music, it's a way of life, it's a way of being, a way of thinking. . . . the new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/jazz-is-not-just-music-it-s-a-way-of-life-it-s-a-way-of-being-a-way-2/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [Change is always happening. That's one of the wonderful things about Jazz music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-ferguson/change-is-always-happening-that-s-one-of-the-wonderful-things-about/) Maynard Ferguson > [When I was about 18, I really started diving into Dave Matthews Band and John Mayer Trio and some of those things that have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-daigle/when-i-was-about-18-i-really-started-diving-into-dave-matthews-band/) [Lauren Daigle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-daigle/) > [Jazz is the type of music that can absorb so many things and still be jazz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/jazz-is-the-type-of-music-that-can-absorb-so-many-things-and-still-be/) [Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/) > [There is a modern take on certain things you can do that, to me, is still jazz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-glasper/there-is-a-modern-take-on-certain-things-you-can-do-that-to-me-is/) [Robert Glasper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-glasper/) > [Both Murali Vijay and KL Rahul are quality players. They have excelled not just at home but also abroad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayank-agarwal/both-murali-vijay-and-kl-rahul-are-quality-players-they-have-excelled/) [Mayank Agarwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayank-agarwal/) > [A student who has excelled in the classroom should have the opportunity to attend college and become a productive, taxpaying member of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bennet/a-student-who-has-excelled-in-the-classroom-should-have-the/) [Michael Bennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bennet/) > [No one wants to be excelled by his relatives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livy/no-one-wants-to-be-excelled-by-his-relatives/) [Livy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livy/) > [There is none who cannot teach somebody something, and there is none so excellent but he is excelled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/there-is-none-who-cannot-teach-somebody-something-and-there-is-none/) [Baltasar Gracian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/) > [My family had a membership to the Riverside Yacht Club where my brother, Sandy, learned to sail, and I competed in local swim races.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-hamill/my-family-had-a-membership-to-the-riverside-yacht-club-where-my/) [Dorothy Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-hamill/) > [When I was a kid, we lived in Italy, which isn't really known for figure skating. I think that's why I excelled so well.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meta-golding/when-i-was-a-kid-we-lived-in-italy-which-isn-t-really-known-for/) Meta Golding > [Dissimulation was his masterpiece; in which he so much excelled that men were not ashamed of being deceived but twice by him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hyde-1st-earl-of-clarendon/dissimulation-was-his-masterpiece-in-which-he-so-much-excelled-that/) [Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hyde-1st-earl-of-clarendon/) > [Many need no other provocation to enmity than that they find themselves excelled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/many-need-no-other-provocation-to-enmity-than-that-they-find/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [With my mom's and my dad's genes, me and my brother excelled in a lot of sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trinity-rodman/with-my-mom-s-and-my-dad-s-genes-me-and-my-brother-excelled-in-a-lot/) [Trinity Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trinity-rodman/) ## More by Pat Metheny > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [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/) > [I think I represent a more left-wing view of what jazz is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-think-i-represent-a-more-left-wing-view-of-what-jazz-is/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [I realized that equipment really had little to do with why I sound like the way I sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-realized-that-equipment-really-had-little-to-do-with-why-i-sound/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [Learning to play is mostly about learning to hear, and learning to really listen deeply to sound in a musical way is a lifetime's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/learning-to-play-is-mostly-about-learning-to-hear-and-learning-to/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [If we are going to list guitar influences, the biggest one by far is Wes Montgomery. Also, Gary Burton was obviously huge for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/if-we-are-going-to-list-guitar-influences-the-biggest-one-by-far-is/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [The best musicians are not the best players, they're the best listeners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/the-best-musicians-are-not-the-best-players-they-re-the-best-listeners/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [Sometimes I try to lose my identity, and I can't get rid of it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/sometimes-i-try-to-lose-my-identity-and-i-can-t-get-rid-of-it/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [Music is what you notice when it's no longer in your presence...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/music-is-what-you-notice-when-it-s-no-longer-in-your-presence/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [To me, there are lots of different stories to tell and you usually find the best way to tell the one you are telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/to-me-there-are-lots-of-different-stories-to-tell-and-you-usually/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [If you plan on continuing a tradition, it might be a good idea to find out just what tradition it is that you intend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/if-you-plan-on-continuing-a-tradition-it-might-be-a-good-idea-to-find/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [Its more about conception and touch and spirit and soul than whether my hardware was in place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/its-more-about-conception-and-touch-and-spirit-and-soul-than-whether/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [From 1962 to 1965, the guitar became this icon of youth culture, thanks mostly to the Beatles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/from-1962-to-1965-the-guitar-became-this-icon-of-youth-culture-thanks/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [Somehow, trumpet is the reference point for me - it was actually my first instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/somehow-trumpet-is-the-reference-point-for-me-it-was-actually-my/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [Jazz demands that you bring to it things that are valuable to you, that are personal to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/jazz-demands-that-you-bring-to-it-things-that-are-valuable-to-you/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) [Explore all 79 Pat Metheny quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One of the things jazz has always excelled at is translating the reality of the times through its musical prism.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pat Metheny" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/one-of-the-things-jazz-has-always-excelled-at-is-translating-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Always" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/one-of-the-things-jazz-has-always-excelled-at-is-translating-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/109/pat-metheny-8589_always_one-of-the-things-jazz-has-always-excell_1360171.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/109/pat-metheny-8589_always_one-of-the-things-jazz-has-always-excell_1360171.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/109/pat-metheny-8589_always_one-of-the-things-jazz-has-always-excell_1360171.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One of the things jazz has always excelled at is translating the reality of the times through its musical…” — Pat Metheny", "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": "Pat Metheny", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One of the things jazz has...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/one-of-the-things-jazz-has-always-excelled-at-is-translating-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/one-of-the-things-jazz-has-always-excelled-at-is-translating-the/#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 } } ] } ```