Stan Getz

The saxophone is an imperfect instrument, especially the tenor and soprano, as far as intonation goes. The challenge is to sing on an imperfect instrument that is outside of your body.

There are four qualities essential to a great jazzman. They are taste, courage, individuality, and irreverence. These are the qualities I want to retain in my music.

As far as playing jazz, no other art form, other than conversation, can give the satisfaction of spontaneous interaction.

Records used to be documents, but now record companies want product.

Other than conversation, no other art form can give the satisfaction of spontaneous interaction like Jazz.

If you like an instrument that sings, play the saxophone. At its best it’s like the human voice

A Jazz musician is a juggler who uses harmonies instead of oranges.

Jazz is one of the best things that you can find in your life, it can always be your friend.

If there is no dance, there is not music.

Jazz music is an aural souvenir of mankind’s attempt to express the intangible, the heart, the soul, through art.

Miles Davis and John Coltrane were so cool, if alive today global warming wouldn’t be an issue.

Inspiration may be a form of super-consciousness, or perhaps of subconsciousness—I wouldn’t know. But I am sure it is the antithesis of self-consciousness.

In our local Baptist church, I sang in the choir and formed a gospel quartet. When our minister caught me messing with his guitar, he taught me three positions – one, four and five. After that, I taught myself to play.

Just give a drum roll, announce my name and I come out and sing. I have a contract that says I’m a singer. So I sing.

To me, the guitar cuts through. It carries more than the organ, but the organ has got more guts.

The true value of this music lies in an artist’s individual creativity and that unique process of expression which is Jazz.

When rock came in, people didn’t know what to do. Even Sinatra, he didn’t know what to do. The music was changing. And it’s changing now.

Nothing is so well-prepared as a great spontaneous performance.

The thing to judge in any jazz artist is, does the man project and does he have ideas.

I’m my own most merciless critic onstage.

Jazz improvisation is the art of collective negotiated expression.