Ella Fitzgerald

It isn’t where you came from, it’s where you’re going that counts.

When we were at the Apollo, Holiday was a block away. I asked her for her autograph.

It isn’t where you came from, its where you’re going that counts.

The fabulous places I’ve been, wonderful things that’ve happened, great people I’ve met ought to make a story.

A lot of singers think all they have to do is exercise their tonsils to get ahead. They refuse to look for new ideas and new outlets, so they fall by the wayside… I’m going to try to find out the new ideas before the others do.

Don’t give up trying to do what you really want. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.

Oh, my darling, it’s incredible, that someone so unforgettable should think I am unforgettable, too.

Jazz can only enhance the Classical side and Classical can only enhance the Jazz side.

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

You can make a saxophone into an electric organ; you can do everything with it.

There’s only one bass player in a band. I’m the best bass player of any band I’m in.

I think you can play anything you wanna as long as you take the audience along with you.

When I was coming up, I practiced all the time because I thought if I didn’t I couldn’t do my best.

I’m trying to play the truth of what I am. The reason it’s difficult is ’cause I’m changing all the time.

The minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille.

Jazz is a feeling more than anything else.

Ahhh – those Jazz guys are just makin’ that stuff up!

The music scene is more competitive in the States.

There are wonderful things in Jazz, the improvisation, the liveliness, the being at one with the audience.

When you are so strongly drawn to music, you can’t ‘not’ be a musician.

A Jazz musician is a juggler who uses harmonies instead of oranges.