Steve Kuhn

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

I feel I have only scratched the surface of what I know I am capable of doing.

Some twenty years ago, during the course of a memorable evening at the Stravinskys’ home in Los Angeles, the venerable maestro turned to me and said in no uncertain terms: ‘My dear, you should conduct your own music. All composers should conduct their own music!

When I speak of the gifted listener, I am thinking of the nonmusician primarily, of the listener who intends to retain his amateur status. It is the thought of just such a listener that excites the composer in me.

People complain about the music industry, but this is a great time to be a musician.

My improvisations are a beguiling mixture of the vertical and the horizontal.

I try to practice with my life.

I’m a fan first. I believed Duke Ellington when he said there’s no bad music, just some of it is presented badly. As a kid, hanging around Church Street, the presentation of music was so powerful, I couldn’t help but jump for joy. I had discovered art, or truth, or whatever you want to call it; I had seen a light I’d follow forever.

I thought of nothing else but rock ‘n’ roll; apart from sex and food and money–but that’s all the same thing, really.

I play the way I do cause it allows me to come up w/ the sickest sounds possible. That’s the point now isn’t it?

Jazz music is collective creativity.

Forget about upholding the tradition and just play who you really are.

Music to me is like breathing. I don’t get tired of breathing, I don’t get tired of music.

One of the advantages of growing older is you learn what to leave out.

Applause felt like approval and it became a drug that soothed the pain, but only temporarily.