Joe Chambers

By and large Jazz has always been like the kind of a man you wouldn’t want your daughter to associate with.

They’re not particular about whether you’re playing a flatted fifth or a ruptured 129th as long as they can dance to it.

My music is the spiritual expression of what I am: my faith, my knowledge, my being.

My music had roots which I’d dug up from my own childhood, musical roots buried in the darkest soil.

When you listen to a pianist, each notes should have an identity, each note should have a soul of its own.

With songwriting I spend a lot of time living life, accruing all these experiences, journaling, and then by the time I get to the studio I’m teeming with the drive to write.

I started to like blues, I guess, when I was about 6 or 7 years old. There was something about it, because nobody else played that kind of music.

This guitar is such a pal. It’s a psychiatrist. It’s a doggone bartender. It’s a housewife. This guy is everything. Whenever I find that I’ve got a problem, I’ll go pick my guitar up and play. It’s the greatest pal in the whole world.

Well, if you find a note tonight that sounds good, play the same damn note every night!

Trios offer simple instrumentation, but the orchestral possibilities are so profound.

You’ve got to learn your instrument.

Improvisation is the most widespread of all musical activities. Why did so many people spend so long pretending it never happened?

Only play what you hear. If you don’t hear anything, don’t play anything.

The trio is the biggest sound you can have with the smallest unit.

Don’t be a perfectionist… leave that to the classical musicians.