To me, a song is not finished. To me, there's no such thing as a finished anything. All of Beethoven's nine symphonies, to me, are one. I think of it as having no beginning and no end.
Wayne ShorterRead
When they say 'jazz,' I'm thinking of a word called 'the creative process.' It intersects every vein and tributary, avenue, path, that everyone's living. It crosses through there, but it's been contained.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Jazz represents the artistic journey and creativity that flows through all aspects of life.
Wayne Shorter's quote illustrates how jazz music encapsulates the essence of the creative process, suggesting that creativity is a fundamental part of human existence that connects to every experience and pathway of life. He indicates that while this creative force is omnipresent, it is often confined and not fully expressed in everyday life, highlighting the importance of recognizing and releasing our creative spirit.
Themes
JazzCreativityArtistic ProcessExpressionLife
In practice
Example use cases
In a keynote speech at a creative workshop, one might say, 'As Wayne Shorter articulated, when they say 'jazz,' it reminds us of the broader creative process we must all embrace.'
More from Wayne Shorter
All quotes →Jazz shouldn't have any mandates. Jazz is not supposed to be something that's required to sound like jazz. For me, the word 'jazz' means, 'I dare you.'
Wayne ShorterRead
There's a steady forward march of a creative process that some of us stay with and don't give up - that should be an admirable thing - from Louis Armstrong to Charlie Parker to Miles to Ornette and some people who are not even known today - some kids coming up - people who are out to change the world.
Wayne ShorterRead
The arts can open the door to the imagination, pushing the envelope of how peace can be created. It takes courage to take this kind of risk, and courage is what we all need to create a better world.
Wayne ShorterRead
I think that music opens portals and doorways into unknown sectors that it takes courage to leap into. I always think that there's a potential that we all have, and we can emerge, rise up to this potential, when necessary. We have to be fearless, courageous, and draw upon wisdom that we think we don't have.
Wayne ShorterRead
Movies would be like a broad painted canvas... or a mystical process which cannot really be explained, like, 'What is electricity?' Along with the images that go on the screen, there's a corridor of dialogue that can happen through motion pictures, whether you're aware of it or not.
Wayne ShorterRead
Similar quotes
I wanted to be Stan Laurel, then I wanted to be Fred Astaire and then Captain Kangaroo. I actually started out as a radio announcer when I was 17 and never left the business so that's literally 70 years.
Dick Van DykeRead
We don't experience our lives as plots. If I asked you to tell me what your last week was like, you're not really gonna give me plot. You're gonna give me sort of linked narrative. And I wanted to see how do we bring that into fiction without losing the reader.
Teju ColeRead
The only important elements in any society are the artistic and the criminal, because they alone, by questioning the society’s values, can force it to change.
Samuel R. DelanyRead
Emerald as heavy as a golf course, ruby as dark as an afterbirth, diamond as white as sun on the sea.
Anne SextonRead
When I am asked about influences, I always say I bow down to Fred Astaire, because when you look at him dancing you never look at his extremities, do you? You look at his centre. What you never see is the hours of work that went into the routines, you just see the breathtaking spirit and freedom.
Alan RickmanRead
I am always trying to 'preserve' things by getting other people to read what I have written, and feel what I felt.
Philip LarkinRead