Dizzy Gillespie

They’re not particular whether you’re playing a flat 5th or a ruptured 129th as long as they can dance.

I try to teach by example and not force ideas on a young musician. We’re here to be part of a process of exchange.

The sign of a mature musician is knowing what not to play.

I think the idea is now for blacks to write about the history of our music. It’s time for that, because whites have been doing it all the time. It’s time for us to do it ourselves and tell it like it is.

It’s taken me all my life to learn what not to play.

One of the reasons we’re here is to be a part of this process of exchange.

I don’t really live like a musician myself. I think music is just something that I do, but I’d like to be doing lots of other things. I like to cure all kinds of illness.

When there was vinyl, I just loved opening a record and smelling that wonderful smell.

If a guy is gonna to play good bop, he has to have a sort of a bop soul.

Jazz musicians are the only workers who will put in a full shift for pay and then go somewhere else and continue to work for free.

As long as there are people trying to play music in a sincere way, there will be Jazz.

I could write six songs in one day with everything that’s going on.

Despite the fact I’m a professional performer, it’s true that I have always preferred playing without an audience.

I call myself a blues singer, but you ain’t never heard me call myself a blues guitar man.

Music comes from the moment, it is spontaneous, it exists at the time it is created.

Jazz is played from the heart. You can even live by it. Always love it.

If everyone liked what I did, I probably wouldn’t be playing anything of depth.

I discovered very early that it wasn’t quite enough for me to imitate people.

I compose my pieces with a formula that I created myself.

Jazz has the ability to absorb and transform influences from diverse musical styles.

I always wanted to be a spontaneous composer.