If it’s not going to sound like Terrapin Station, what’s the point of playing Terrapin Station?
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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My job is to write songs that have emotional meaning to me.
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his special ability enables Walter to communicate with aspiring musicians in a way that removes the sense of mystery that sometimes enshrouds our profession.
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Everybody talks about finding your voice. Do your homework and your voice will find you.
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One of the things that’s clear to me from interviews that I’ve read is that the more popular successful jazz musicians had audiences above and beyond the music community.
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The way to learn the language is to rip off other players. As Benny Golson told me, “We all start off sounding like other cats.
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What is jazz? It, It’s almost like asking, What is French? Jazz is a musical language. It’s a musical dialect that actually embodies the spirit of America.
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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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You don’t know what you like, you like what you know. In order to know what you like, you have to know everything.
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Pop doesn’t really look back. It can’t. What makes pop work is simplicity.
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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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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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You know, being America, being the land of “number ones”, everyone wants to be a leader before they follow.
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So much of Jazz doesn’t have an audience other than music students or musicians.
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I don’t care who likes it or buys it. Because if you use that criterion, Mozart would have never written Don Giovanni, Charlie Parker never would have played anything but swing music. There comes a point at which you have to stand up and say, this is what I have to do.
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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?
BRANFORD MARSALIS