Benny Goodman

One way or the other, if you want to find reasons why you shouldn’t keep on, you’ll find ’em. The obstacles are all there; there are a million of ’em.

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.

You have to look good.

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.

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.

Players are coming from other backgrounds: rock, folk, ethnic music. It’s changing Jazz for the better.

Is there a meaning to music? Yes. Can you state in so many words what the meaning is? No.

What I’m doing, I prefer to call that jazz, because it is a beautiful word – I love it.

We don’t talk music. We just play.

Django was the definitive genius on the guitar, and the depth of his gift was so spectacular.

Jazz is very much alive. Everywhere I go there’s a new generation of musicians playing Jazz music.

Jazz goes into my coffee in the morning, in my wine at night.

I liked blues from the time my mother used to take me to church. I started to listen to gospel music, so I liked that. But I had an aunt at that time, my mother’s aunt who bought records by people like Lonnie Johnson, Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and a few others.

If a literary man puts together two words about music, one of them will be wrong.

I don’t know anything about music. In my line you don’t have to.

Forget about upholding the tradition and just play who you really are.

To be a true artist you have to play the way you feel not the way others think you should feel.

I wanted to do the music, but not at the expense of being happy.

The popular song is America’s greatest ambassador.

Music is a reservoir… of sounds.