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Jazz Quotes

Coming to jazz early, late, or not much at all.

This set is candidly mixed on jazz - one voice regrets missing it young and finding it intimidating later, another admits to just not being a big fan. See Blues quotes for a closely related genre.

I like everything, jazz and classical, and all over the spectrum.

Quotes by Mark Pellegrino

I love the sounds of Latin jazz, R&B, hip-hop, alternative, all that stuff. I'm a radio kid.

Quotes by Mario Vazquez

Jazz is a music of great achievements but speed and chops serve a different function in jazz.

Quotes by Marc Ribot

In 1962 I wrote for 'Jazz News,' using the pseudonym Manfred Manne, which I picked because of a jazz drummer with that name. I later dropped the 'e.'

Quotes by Manfred Mann

I have two main bass guitars, and my main bass is a four-string 1964 Fender Jazz, and I've named it Justine.

Quotes by Malcolm-Jamal Warner

My band, Miles Long, is a jazz-funk spoken word band. There's jazz sensibilities, but I'm a bass player, so I'm very much into the head-bobbing vibe with sophisticated lyrics.

Quotes by Malcolm-Jamal Warner

Gospel music rhythms are not African in origin, although I know that's what the jazz experts say.

Quotes by Mahalia Jackson

One thing about playing the real jazz is that you can't count it.

Quotes by Mahalia Jackson

I studied jazz at home with my grandparents. They always had jazz dudes at the house, but I didn't study formally. I just hung around a lot of musicians.

Quotes by Madlib

I don't really get the same kinda romance that I would get from, like, jazz. And even to a lesser extent to rock 'n roll. Rock 'n roll has a romance to it - how can I put it? A...

Quotes by Lupe Fiasco

The blues is the foundation, and it's got to carry the top. The other part of the scene, the rock 'n' roll and the jazz, are the walls of the blues.

Quotes by Luther Allison

If it has more than three chords, it's jazz.

Quotes by Lou Reed

One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz.

Quotes by Lou Reed

When I was in college, I had a jazz radio show. I called it 'Excursion on a Wobbly Rail,' after a Cecil Taylor song. I used to run around the Village following Ornette Coleman wherever he played.

Quotes by Lou Reed

If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know.

Quotes by Louis Armstrong

The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician.

Quotes by Louis Armstrong

Jazz has a lot to do with being very present. You know the structure, then you flow through it.

Quotes by Lizz Wright

Jazz has provided the framework for all the other stuff that I've done.

Quotes by Lizz Wright

I studied opera for a year at Georgia State University, but I wasn't interested in that meticulous, technical approach to music. So I left school and went back to jazz.

Quotes by Lizz Wright

George Benson conquered many different genres, from pop ballads to R&B to jazz.

Quotes by Little Louie Vega

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this collection of "jazz" quotes cover?
It ranges from a late, intimidated introduction to jazz, to a frank admission of not being a big fan, an eclectic listening habit, and a simple statement of musical identity.
Does a quote describe coming to jazz late?
Yes: "I missed jazz, kind of. And by the time I came to it in life, it was too intimidating to enjoy thoroughly."
Is there a quote admitting to not liking jazz much?
Yes: "I'm not a big jazz fan."
Does a quote describe a mix of musical tastes?
Yes: "I listen to a mixture of old jazz, contemporary, pop, some world beat stuff and various odds and ends."
Is there a simple, direct statement about jazz?
Yes: "My music is jazz." See the Blues collection for a related genre.

Others describe jazz as one thread in an eclectic mix of listening, or simply as the music that defines their work. Browse Love quotes or Like quotes for more personal-taste reflections.