Eliot Zigmund

I know what I’ve done for music, but don’t call me a legend. Just call me Miles Davis.

There are no natural barriers. It’s all music.

I think I had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to sound like a dry martini.

I saw music as a way to entertain people and take them away from their daily lives and put smiles on their faces, as opposed to what I see it being now, which is a way for me to actually communicate, and a way for me to tap into my subconscious.

I stole everything I ever heard, but mostly I stole from the horns.

As far as playing jazz, no other art form, other than conversation, can give the satisfaction of spontaneous interaction.

I write about moments, and I don’t make blanket statements about anything because no one has all the answers; nobody’s come up with a foolproof way to do anything when it comes to emotions.

Jazz is an idea that is more powerful than the details of its history.

If it sounds good and feels good, then it IS good!

I think that those elements – light and sound – are beyond democratic. They’re into the creative part of life.

There’s so much music out there and so many possibilities. I like anyone who plays any instrument.

There are so many sounds I still want to make, so many things I haven’t yet done.

What I look for in concert is a connection with the audience.

I still do what I love, and I don’t really think about it. I try to make a beautiful show, so people go home happy. That’s my biggest aspiration: to make people happy.

[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.