Ludwig van Beethoven

Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.

Music should strike fire from the heart of man and bring tears to the eyes of woman.

I learned my songs from the birds of the Brazilian forest.

Composing makes me feel like I’ve finally gotten all the way up the ladder as a musician.

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

It’s important to reflect on what made Jazz so special.

My creed for art in general is that it should enrich the soul; it should teach spirituality by showing a person a portion of himself that he would not discover otherwise . . . a part of yourself you never knew existed.

I’m an interpreter of stories. When I perform it’s like sitting down at my piano and telling fairy stories.

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 was never interested in singing in the church or school. I was more interested in becoming a musician.

You may be sitting in a room reading this book. Imagine one note struck upon the piano. Immediately that one note is enough to change the atmosphere of the room – proving that the sound element in music is a powerful and mysterious agent, which it would be foolish to deride or belittle.

And if I had a preference, it would be to be able to not be in the studio until 4 in the morning.

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

Typically I go in the studio and whatever I’m contemplating that day will wind up being a song. I don’t come in with lyrics… I just go in and let it happen.

[on Glastonbury] I started off the show and I completely messed up the music. And me, as you can imagine by this phone call, I’m a bit of a perfectionist. So it really put me into a slightly depressed state.

I think I was supposed to play Jazz.

When you begin to see the possibilities of music, you desire to do something really good for people.