Stan Getz

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

I came from an era when we didn’t use electronic instruments. The bass wasn’t even amplified. The sound was the sound you got.

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.

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.

Musically, I love to talk just off the top of my head and that’s what Jazz is all about.

The saxophone is actually a translation of the human voice, in my conception. All you can do is play melody. No matter how complicated it gets, it’s still a melody.

If you really understand the meaning of be-bop, you understand the meaning of freedom.

Players are coming from other backgrounds: rock, folk, ethnic music. It’s changing Jazz for the better.

If I’m not a jazz player all the time, I’ve at least been cued in to what I do by jazz.

The point of Jazz is, you do something and then you go on.

I often wonder whether Negroes like myself who are pretty well known help out at all in breaking down barriers.

Jazz musician is a combination entertainer, poet, singer, educator, student, artist, seducer and all-round good fellow.

It’s like a whole orchestra, the piano for me.

Play what you want and let the public pick up on what you doing even if it does take them 15, 20 years.

One way or the other, if you want to find reasons why you shouldn’t keep on, you’ll find ’em. The obstacles are all there; there are a million of ’em.

Music gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and charm and gaiety to life.

It’s always Jazz. You can put a new dress on her, a new hat, but no matter what kind of clothes she’s the same old broad.

Music chooses her musicians.

Using drugs didn’t help me play, all it did was hang me up for 15 years.

I just fell in love with the integrity of the music and that was it.

Tomorrow you’ll wish you had practiced harder today.