I believe that men are here to grow themselves into the best good that they can be – at least, this is what I want to do.
JOHN COLTRANEI think I was first awakened to musical exploration by Dizzy Gillespie and Bird. It was through their work that I began to learn about musical structures and the more theoretical aspects of music.
More John Coltrane Quotes
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All a musician can do is to get closer to the source.
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I never even thought about whether or not they understand what I’m doing, the emotional reaction is all that matters as long as there’s some feeling of communication, it isn’t necessary that it be understood.
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The real risk is not changing. I have to feel that I’m after something. If I make money, fine. But I’d rather be striving. It’s the striving, man, it’s that I want.
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Sometimes I wish I could walk up to my music as if for the first time, as if I had never heard it before. Being so inescapably a part of it, I’ll never know what the listener gets, what the listener feels, and that’s too bad.
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Considering the great heritage in music that we have – the work of the giants of the past, the present, and the promise of those who are to come – I feel that we have every reason to face the future optimistically.
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Change is inevitable in music – things change.
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All of the technique doesn’t matter only if the feeling is right.
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Damn the rules, it’s the feeling that counts.
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Whatever I’d say would be an understatement. I can only say my life was made much better by knowing him. He was one of the greatest people I’ve ever known, as a man, a friend, and a musician.
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The first time I heard Bird play, it hit me right between the eyes.
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The main thing a musician would like to do is to give a picture to the listener of the many wonderful things he knows of and senses in the universe.
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Starting in the middle of a musical sentence and moving in both directions at once.
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My goal is to live the truly religious life, and express it in my music. If you live it, when you play there’s no problem because the music is part of the whole thing. To be a musician is really something. It goes very, very deep. My music is the spiritual expression of what I am – my faith, my knowledge, my being.
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My music is the spiritual expression of what I am: my faith, my knowledge, my being.
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I’d like to point out to people the divine in a musical language that transcends words. I want to speak to their souls.
JOHN COLTRANE