Stan Getz

We made records to document ourselves, not to sell a lot of records. I still feel that way. I put out a record because I think it’s beautiful, not necessarily commercial.

You don’t rehearse Jazz to death to get the camera angles.

I compulsively reach for perfection in music, often at the expense of everything else in my life.

I learn something new every day.

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

People involve themselves with the superficiality of Jazz without digging for its soul.

I’m going to be on the road for the rest of my life.

I still love the whole history of Jazz. The old things sound better than ever.

I’m always making a comeback but nobody ever tells me where I’ve been.

The whites come to applaud a Negro performer just like the colored do. When you’ve got the respect of white and colored, you can ease a lot of things.

At times in my life the only place I have been happy is when I am on stage.

Knowledge speaks, wisdom listens.

For a long time I wasn’t listening to music, to the rock and roll stuff on the radio, because it would cause me to get sweaty–it would bring back memories I didn’t want to know about, or I would get that feeling that I’m not alive ’cause I’m not making it. And if it was good, I hated it ’cause I wasn’t doing it. And if it was bad, I was furious ’cause I could’ve done it better…

Not too slow, not too fast. Kind of half-fast.

The fabulous places I’ve been, wonderful things that’ve happened, great people I’ve met ought to make a story.

If I were to call it black music, that would be untrue. I don’t know what that is, unless it would be some African drums or something.

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of someone else.

I don’t do something because I think it will sell 30 million albums. I couldn’t care less. If it sells one, it sells one.

Once you become predictable, no one’s interested anymore.

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.

Being a singer is a natural gift. It means I’m using to the highest degree possible the gift that God gave me to use. I’m happy with that.