Alanis Morissette

At one point, I was just perceived as only being angry, but now I’m being perceived as angry, peaceful, and spiritual.

I want to walk through life instead of being dragged through it.

I felt like I was making a record under the radar, and that is my favorite way to do anything.

And if I had a preference, it would be to be able to not be in the studio until 4 in the morning.

I was motivated by just thinking that if you had all this external success that everyone would love you and everything would be peaceful and wonderful.

Canada has a passive-aggressive culture, with a lot of sarcasm and righteousness. That went with my weird messianic complex. The ego is a fascinating monster. I was taught from a young age that I had to serve, so that turned into me thinking I had to save the planet.

If you can’t play the blues, you might as well hang it up.

The day of the great jazz improviser who doesn’t know how to read music is over.

There are some people that if they don’t know, you can’t tell them.

Musicians have a really big part to play in spreading messages because they’re able to reach a large portion of people on an emotional level. Artists reach people at their heart; it’s the only time we meet in one place and put our differences aside. When you’re in a forum listening to music, all you feel in that moment is love and the understanding.

And as long as people have problems, the blues can never die.

I hate straight singing. I have to change a tune to my own way of doing it. That’s all I know.

Damn it, when I’m bombastic, I have my reasons. I want to be bombastic: take it or leave it.

To work is to feel alive.

I consider myself a poet first and a musician second. I live like a poet and I’ll die like a poet.

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

I’m very shy, and I shy away from people. But the moment I hit the stage, it’s a different feeling I get nerve from somewhere; maybe it’s because it’s something I love to do.

Jazz attracted me because in it I found a formal perfection and instrumental precision I admire in classical music, but which popular music doesn’t have.

Find the best teachers, listen to the finest playing and try to emulate that. Be true to the music.

Jazz is the sound of surprise.

When you are studying Jazz best thing to do is listen to records and live music as much you can and absorb everything.