We’re here to have a ball.
Jazz is known all over the world as an American musical art form and that’s it. No America, no jazz. I’ve seen people try to connect it to other countries, for instance to Africa, but it doesn’t have a damn thing to do with Africa.
When it comes to music, don’t lie to yourself; just tell yourself the truth.
[On the word Jazz] There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s only a word. What’s in a name? Nothing! Cats say, Call me Muhammed so-and-so. But what’s the difference? A name doesn’t make the music. It’s just called that to differentiate it from other types of music. Jazz is known all over the world as an American musical art form and that’s it. No America, no jazz. I’ve seen people try to connect it to other countries, for instance to Africa, but it doesn’t have a damn thing to do with Africa.
If you feel like tapping your feet, tap your feet. If you feel like clapping your hands, clap your hands. And if you feel like taking off your shoes, take off your shoes. We are here to have a ball. So we want you to leave your worldly troubles outside and come in here and swing.
It takes an intelligent ear to listen to Jazz.
A name doesn’t make the music. It’s just called that to differentiate it from other types of music.
90%, 100% are going there to hear the singing. The story is another thing. Nobody’s interested in the story. Happiness is happiness.
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.
Get around, be on the scene, play it clean, be seen, be keen and be over eighteen.
I went back and listened to the first three albums I made and tried to figure out what was special about them, why people keep going back to them. I think it was because I didn’t know what I was doing. I had no idea if they were going to play it on the radio or anything. All I did was write songs, so that’s what I got back to.
I’ve found you’ve got to look back at the old things and see them in a new light.
Jazz isn’t the kind of music you’re going to learn in 3 or 4 years or get because you have talent for music.
I’m gonna live till I die.
I always think of music as interior decoration. So, if you have all kinds of music, you are fully decorated!
The inspired moment may sometimes be described as a kind of hallucinatory state of mind: one half of the personality emotes and dictates while the other half listens and notates. The half that listens has better look the other way, had better simulate a half attention only, for the half that dictates is easily disgruntled and avenges itself for too close inspection by fading entirely away.
Jazz is not gonna be a dinosaur and stay around in one form.
Actually, I think the more Ben [Taylor] sings, the less like James he sounds.
I’ll play it first and tell you what it is afterwards.
I don’t do something because I think it’ll sell 30 million albums. I couldn’t care less if it sells just one.
All of the technique doesn’t matter… only if the feeling is right.
