Aaron Copland

It made no sense to ignore them and to continue writing as if they did not exist. I felt that it was worth the effort to see if I couldn’t say what I had to say in the simplest possible terms.

To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible and inconceivable.

You may be sitting in a room reading this book. Imagine one note struck upon the piano. Immediately that one note is enough to change the atmosphere of the room – proving that the sound element in music is a powerful and mysterious agent, which it would be foolish to deride or belittle.

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.

For me, the most important thing is the element of chance that is built into a live performance. The very great drawback of recorded sound is the fact that it is always the same. No matter how wonderful a recording is, I know that I couldn’t live with it–even of my own music–with the same nuances forever.

If you want to know about the Sixties, play the music of The Beatles.

Jazz fans love Miles and I love him for a myriad of reasons, but the overviews are always too simplistic.

This guitar is such a pal. It’s a psychiatrist. It’s a doggone bartender. It’s a housewife. This guy is everything. Whenever I find that I’ve got a problem, I’ll go pick my guitar up and play. It’s the greatest pal in the whole world.

After two takes you’re imitating yourself.

It is Jazz’s very nature to change, to develop and adapt to the circumstances of its environment.

Everything that happened to me as a child involved music. It was part of everyday life, as automatic as breathing.

Jazz music is the power of now.

Some players get very philosophical and cerebral about Jazz. You don’t need any prologues, you just play.

If a Jazz musician plays someone else’s song, he has a responsibility to make a distinct and original statement.

The radio makes hideous sounds.

Somebody asked me once, ‘Do you think that swing will ever come back?’ And I said, ‘Do you think the 1938 Form will ever come back?’

I would’ve loved to have been in a band, but sadly I just wasn’t good enough.

I’ve never known a musician who regretted being one. Whatever deceptions life may have in store for you, music itself is not going to let you down.

Jazz is not background music. You must concentrate in order to get the most out of it. You must absorb it.

The Blues is never old.

I don’t really get nervous, I prepare. When the music messed up in the beginning, it tapped into my nerves and when you’re nervous and vulnerable, something special and something different can happen.