Benny Goodman

If a guy’s got it, let him give it. I’m selling music, not prejudice.

Too many young musicians today want to win polls before they learn their instruments.

Sometimes when you start losing detail, whether it’s in music or in life, something as small as failing to be polite, you start to lose substance.

You have to look good.

To this day, I don’t like people walking on stage not looking good. You have to look good. If you feel special about yourself then you’re going to play special.

I remember Glenn Miller coming to me once, before he had his own band, saying, How do you do it? How do you get started? It’s so difficult. I told him, I don’t know but whatever you do don’t stop. Just keep on going.

Look at the tune and not make the same statement that has been made a million times.

Lionel Richie told me forget about the critics. But if you come back with hit after hit, you don’t have to worry about anything.

The first time I went to Paris, it just felt like I was home. I didn’t question it.

It’s not jazz as we know jazz here in America.

You gotta love livin’, baby, ’cause dyin’ is a pain in the ass.

Paint pictures with sound. First, find your white-the deepest, roundest sound you can play on the guitar. Then, find your black-which is the most extreme tonal difference from white you can play. Now, just pick the note where you’ve got white, pick it where you’ve got black, and then find all those colors in between. Get those colors down, and you’ll be able to express almost any emotion on the guitar.?

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

Musicians have the intimacy of bringing two people together and the aesthetic, romantic transference.

I love it when people hear my music but can’t figure out what instrument I’m playing.

Man, you tell a story.

My style is to just play. The more “live” you capture your music-the more unthought-out-the more magical it is.

If your dreams don’t scare you they’re not big enough!

Jazz is about being in the moment.

It’s just exciting to be part of something that is brand-new.

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