D C DowDell

While many attempts have been made to define Jazz, what’s the point really. Jazz is to be experienced – period.

While many forms of music may use the dynamic of improvisation, Jazz exemplifies the unique characteristic of collective improvisation.

Jazz – it takes passion to make it happen!

Jazz improvisation is the art of collective negotiated expression.

A Jazz Diet will make you hipper, thinner, taller, smarter, richer, happier and more attractive to members of both sexes.

Learn the tunes by playing the masters, learn expression by playing yourself.

I’ve noticed that the more adventurous and in that mode that I am, it seems that the more the audience really likes it.

I grew up with the piano. I learned its language as I learned to speak.

You gotta mean it and you gotta treat it gentle.

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

It’s always Jazz. You can put a new dress on her, a new hat, but no matter what kind of clothes she’s the same old broad.

There are notes between notes, you know.

Everybody that you could name would join in our audiences from, Laguardia on down. Everybody came. Everybody came to the Cotton Club.

There’s a sadness to all kinds of music if you want to hear it. There’s also happiness to it if you want to hear it. Blues was started by the slaves and I think everybody thinks that it all should be sad… even some of the slaves had fun with it.

All musicians stimulate each other. The vibrations get scattered around.

There’s always room for improvisation or changes of expression.

I always try to teach by example and not force my ideas on a young musician. One of the reasons we’re here is to be a part of this process of exchange.

Let me whisper it. Let me sigh it. Let me sing it, my dear or I will cry it.

[Stratocaster vs Les Paul] It’s a totally different animal. One is for very subtle and, I would say, more musical things that you can distract and abuse. You can’t do that with a Les Paul. It’s too delicate. It’s got a very delicate tone; most people don’t ever realize that because they are plugged into monstrous amplifiers which completely, instantaneously covers up the unique sound quality it has. All those years of development go straight out the window when you overload the amp.

Music and culture are intrinsically improvisational, existential.

Blow your life through your horn.