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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.

John Coltrane

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.
JOHN COLTRANE

Better Friendship Greatness Known Life Musician Myself
The first time I heard Bird play, it hit me right between the eyes.
JOHN COLTRANE

Eyes Hear Music Myself Right
Change is inevitable in music – things change.
JOHN COLTRANE

Change Music
All a musician can do is to get closer to the source.
JOHN COLTRANE

Close Musician Source
I think music is an instrument. It can create the initial thought patterns that can change the thinking of people.
JOHN COLTRANE

Instrument Music Myself Pattern People Thinking
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.
JOHN COLTRANE

Expression Goal Knowledge Life Live Music Myself Religious True
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.
JOHN COLTRANE

Feeling Future Greatness Heritage Myself Optimist Reason Work
My music is the spiritual expression of what I am: my faith, my knowledge, my being.
JOHN COLTRANE

Existence Faith Knowledge Music Myself Spiritual
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.
JOHN COLTRANE

Change Man Real Risk Strive
Sometimes I wish I could walk up to my music for the first time, as if I had never heard it before.
JOHN COLTRANE

Music Myself Time Walk
All of the technique doesn’t matter only if the feeling is right.
JOHN COLTRANE

Feeling Right Technique
Working with Monk is like falling down a dark elevator shaft.
JOHN COLTRANE

Darkness Elevator Monk Work
The reason I play so many sounds, maybe it sounds angry, is because I’m trying so many things at one time, you see? I haven’t sorted them out. I have a whole bag of things that I’m trying to work through and get the one essential.
JOHN COLTRANE

Essential Myself Play Reason Sound Time Work
Sometimes I think I was making music through the wrong end of a magnifying glass.
JOHN COLTRANE

End Music Myself Thinking Time Wrong
I 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.
JOHN COLTRANE

Aspect Awake Learning Music Myself Thinking
When you begin to see the possibilities of music, you desire to do something really good for people.
JOHN COLTRANE

Beginning Goodness People Possible See
One positive thought produces millions of positive vibrations.
JOHN COLTRANE

Oneself Positive Thinking Vibration
I’ve always felt that even though a man was not a Christian, he still has to know the truth some way or another. Or if he was a Christian, he could know the truth. The truth itself doesn’t have any name on it to me. And each man has to find this for himself, I think.
JOHN COLTRANE

Feeling Known Man Myself Name Thinking Truth
Starting in the middle of a musical sentence and moving in both directions at once.
JOHN COLTRANE

Direction Move Music Start
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

Divine Language Musical Myself People Point Soul Talk
Jazz is a word they use to sell our music, but to me that word does not exist.
JOHN COLTRANE

Existence Music Ourselves Word
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.
JOHN COLTRANE

Himself Listening Musician Picture Universe
My music is the spiritual expression of what I am — my faith, my knowledge, my being…When you begin to see the possibilities of music, you desire to do something really good for people, to help humanity free itself from its hangups…I want to speak to their souls.
JOHN COLTRANE

Beginning Expression Goodness Knowledge Music People Possible Soul Spiritual Talk
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.
JOHN COLTRANE

Bad Escape Feeling Listening Music Myself Time Walk
You can play a shoestring if you’re sincere.
JOHN COLTRANE

Inspirational Music Passion Sincere Yourself
Any time you play your horn, it helps you. If you get down, you can help yourself even in a rock ‘n’ roll band.
JOHN COLTRANE

Help Horn Play Time Yourself
I want to be the force which is truly for good.
JOHN COLTRANE

Force Goodness Myself True

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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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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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