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 COLTRANEThe 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.
More John Coltrane Quotes
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Working with Monk is like falling down a dark elevator shaft.
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One positive thought produces millions of positive vibrations.
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Sometimes I think I was making music through the wrong end of a magnifying glass.
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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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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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There are so many things to be considered in making music. The whole question of life itself… I know that I want to produce beautiful music, music that does things to people that they need.
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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 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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Jazz is a word they use to sell our music, but to me that word does not exist.
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Change is inevitable in music – things change.
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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.
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There is never any end, There are always new sounds to imagine; new feelings to get at. And always, there is the need to keep purifying these feelings and sounds so that we can really see what we’ve discovered in its pure state.
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You can play a shoestring if you’re sincere.
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Damn the rules, it’s the feeling that counts.
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I’m into scales right now.
JOHN COLTRANE