You don’t know what you like, you like what you know. In order to know what you like, you have to know everything.
BRANFORD MARSALISWhen you’re dealing with music without words, titles are more a means of identification than anything else. What’s the point of getting lofty?
More Branford Marsalis Quotes
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You know, being America, being the land of “number ones”, everyone wants to be a leader before they follow.
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It’s hard to get into Newsweek because, as more of our former intellectual magazines take on a pop focus, if there’s no buzz, there’s no interest.
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When you’re dealing with music without words, titles are more a means of identification than anything else. What’s the point of getting lofty?
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One of the things that I loved about listening to Miles Davis is that Miles always had an instinct for which musicians were great for what situations. He could always pick a band, and that was the thing that separated him from everybody else.
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I think that if you keep banging at the door all you need is a little foothold, a little tiny foothold, and then the rest will take care of itself.
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What you have to do is play a couple of songs and then get off the stage because everything that trails it sounds stupid.
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My job is to write songs that have emotional meaning to me.
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If it’s not going to sound like Terrapin Station, what’s the point of playing Terrapin Station?
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You hear it in your brain. Whatever makes sense. Some songs work well as quartet songs, sometimes they don’t.
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I like to make records sound good. I’m more like a reducer than a producer. If an artist cannot produce themselves, what’s the point?
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Everybody talks about finding your voice. Do your homework and your voice will find you.
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The biggest problem with American music right now, is that kids don’t listen. They come by it honestly, Americans don’t listen anyway.
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The whole point is, give me a break with the standards. You go to the average jazz label and suggest a record and they want to know which standards you’re going to play. I’m saying let’s break the formula.
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The piano is the X factor. People have a tough time following the structures when there’s no piano there, spelling it out. It makes it more easily understood, particularly to people who don’t know as much about music.
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So much of Jazz doesn’t have an audience other than music students or musicians.
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