Artie Shaw

I did all you can do with a clarinet. Any more would have been less.

‘Swing’ is an adjective or a verb, not a noun. All jazz musicians should swing. There is no such thing as a ‘swing band’ in music.

There’s such a cynicism about the phrase ‘I laughed all the way to the bank.’ It’s as though money is what you’re doing, rather than playing music. If you’re playing a money game, why not get into banking?

An artist should write for himself and not for an audience. If the audience likes it, great. If not, they can keep away.

Jazz was born out of the whiskey bottle, was raised on marijuana, and will expire on cocaine.

No matter how carefully and assiduously and how deeply you bury shit, the American public will find it and buy it in large quantity, It’s true, absolutely true.

Change is always happening. That’s one of the wonderful things about Jazz music.

When I got pretty good I went on the road with a group. We starved.

Dizzy used to tell me I’m playing too hard. He’d say to not give everything. Miles told me that too.

I was always exposed to music. Mom and dad would have the radio on constantly.

If you think it, want it, dream it… then it’s real. You are what you feel.

You don’t know what love is, until you’ve learned the meaning of the blues, until you’ve loved a love you’ve had to lose.

In Jazz, improvisation isn’t a matter of just making any ol’ thing up. Jazz, like any language, has its own grammer and vocabulary. There’s no right or wrong, just some choices that are better than others.

Technique is the ability to translate your ideas into sound through your instrument.

It’s not what they think, it’s about what’s best for the music.

Practice 15 or 20 years and then it comes out spontaneously.

The deeper you get into the music allows the ability to appreciate art and all other forms of expression.

Music is what I hear and something that I live by.

In our local Baptist church, I sang in the choir and formed a gospel quartet. When our minister caught me messing with his guitar, he taught me three positions – one, four and five. After that, I taught myself to play.

I can count on one hand the number of instrumental hits there have been over the last 10 years.

I’m going to make music out of whatever style it is, being true to the artform itself.