Monty Alexander

Improvising musicians are musical travelers, voyagers. There is a freedom to wander the musical landscape.

I think that what is important is that the music be honest and direct and that it is relevant to today.

If you really understand the meaning of be-bop, you understand the meaning of freedom.

The expression of freedom that is Jazz improvisation mirrors the ethos of the best parts of society.

I remember Glenn Miller coming to me once, before he had his own band, saying, How do you do it? How do you get started? It’s so difficult. I told him, I don’t know but whatever you do don’t stop. Just keep on going.

You should never be comfortable, man. Being comfortable fouled up a lot of musicians.

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

Jazz amounts to Blues, your unique sound and the elusive genius of improvisation.

You don’t want to play like B. B. King. You want to be you. So what you do is listen to players you like, and try to “borrow” a little bit from each guy. You don’t try to sound exactly like the other guy, you just add the bits to your vocabulary. It’s like learning to read or write.

The day of the great jazz improviser who doesn’t know how to read music is over.

I was really running a music school back then, because my band wasn’t making any money. I keep talking about money, because most people don’t understand the part of money in running a band.

When I start writing songs and it turns into an overly belabored intellectual process, I just throw it out.

The louder they [the band] play the softer I sing.

In my world, the first thing I reach for is the sound.

My first relationship to any kind of musical situation is as a listener.