Oscar Peterson

You not only have to know your own instrument, you must know the others and how to back them up at all times. That’s jazz.

It’s the group sound that’s important, even when you’re playing a solo. You not only have to know your own instrument, you must know the others and how to back them up at all times. That’s jazz.

Some people try to get very philosophical and cerebral about what they’re trying to say with jazz. You don’t need any prologues, you just play. If you have something to say of any worth then people will listen to you.

I have no one style.

Too many jazz pianists limit themselves to a personal style, a trademark, so to speak. They confine themselves to one type of playing. I believe in using the entire piano as a single instrument capable of expressing every possible musical idea. I have no one style. I play as I feel.

If you have something to say of any worth then people will listen to you.

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.

And there is a time where you can be beyond yourself. You can be better than your technique. You can be better than most of your usual ideas. And this is a whole other category that you can get into.

Music is the shorthand of emotion

I don’t compose. I assemble materials.

Jazz is a beautiful woman whose older brother is a policeman.

I’m always looking to create new avenues or new visions of music.

I just remember always trying to emulate Dinah Washington, hanging out in my bedroom closet.

Music is the most fantastic drug there is!

I’ve studied all my musical life, but learning is only good if you do something constructive with it.

The first time I heard Bird play, it hit me right between the eyes.

When you sing, always tell the truth.

Check out the albums, … Check out the live performances. That’s the reality of it all. Music is such an energizing thing.

When you listen to someone improvise, the notes that are played are only half the story.

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.

Everyone is working who should be.