All I wanted was to be big, to be in show business and to travel ... and that's what I've been doing all my life.
Count BasieRead
I, of course, wanted to play real jazz. When we played pop tunes, and naturally we had to, I wanted those pops to kick! Not loud and fast, understand, but smoothly and with a definite punch.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Count Basie emphasizes the importance of infusing energy and authenticity into music, even when playing popular tunes.
In this quote, Count Basie reflects on his desire to play authentic jazz music, demonstrating a commitment to quality and artistry. He expresses that while he acknowledges the necessity of performing popular songs, he insists on ensuring that these performances maintain the integrity and smoothness characteristic of real jazz, highlighting a passion for musical excellence.
Themes
JazzMusicAuthenticityPopEnergy
In practice
Example use cases
A musician might use this quote to inspire his band to maintain the essence of jazz while performing popular songs.
More from Count Basie
All quotes →If you find a note tonight that sounds good, play the same damn note every night!
Count BasieRead
I'll always remember when I first heard Lester [Young]. I'd never heard anyone like him before. He was a stylist with a different sound. A sound I'd never heard before or since. To be honest with you, I didn't much like it at first.
Count BasieRead
I'm saying: to be continued, until we meet again. Meanwhile, keep on listening and tapping your feet.
Count BasieRead
I never thought innovation as such was very important. Not when you have to think about it... If you're going to come up with a new direction or a really new way to do something, you'll do it by just playing your stuff and letting it ride. The real innovators did their innovating by just being themselves.
Count BasieRead
Of course, there are a lot of ways you can treat the blues, but it will still be the blues.
Count BasieRead
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Malcolm GladwellRead
Just blow in it and sound bad for about a year and then make it sound a little bit better, and you get a little band together, and then you get a few jobs. You take four guys that sound half bad, but if they're 25 percent each, they can give 100 percent, you know?
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After all we did for Britain, selling that corduroy and making it swing, all we got was a bit of tin on a piece of leather.
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Very few of the men whose names have become great in the early pioneering of jazz and of swing were trained in music at all. They were born musicians: they felt their music and played by ear and memory. That was the way it was with the great Dixieland Five.
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I only hope that one day, America will recognize what the rest of the world already has known, that our indigenous music - gospel, blues, jazz and R&B - is the heart and soul of all popular music; and that we cannot afford to let this legacy slip into obscurity, I'm telling you.
Quincy JonesRead