Humans are imperfect. That's one of the reasons that classical and jazz are in trouble. We're on the quest for the perfect performance and every note has to be right. Man, every note is not right in life.
Branford MarsalisRead
Walter Beasley is an anomaly: a successful performing musician who possesses the rare skill of understanding the musical process beyond the intuitive. This special ability enables Walter to communicate with aspiring musicians in a way that removes the sense of mystery that sometimes enshrouds our profession.
Interpretation
Walter Beasley uniquely combines performance success with a deep understanding of music, helping others learn the craft.
The quote highlights the exceptional talent of Walter Beasley, who not only excels as a performing musician but also possesses an insightful grasp of the intricacies of music. This ability allows him to demystify the musical process for aspiring musicians, making it more accessible and understandable, thereby fostering their growth in the field.
In practice
In a music workshop, I shared this quote to inspire students about the importance of understanding music.
Humans are imperfect. That's one of the reasons that classical and jazz are in trouble. We're on the quest for the perfect performance and every note has to be right. Man, every note is not right in life.
The cool thing is that jazz is really a wonderful example of the great characteristics of Buddhism and great characteristics of the human spirit. Because in jazz we share, we listen to each other, we respect each other, we are creating in the moment. At our best, we're non-judgmental.
Until it's on the radio or online, it's not real. With U2, our album isn't finished until it's in the stores.
The easiest way to avoid wrong notes is to never open your mouth and sing. What a mistake that would be.
I don't have a favorite song that I've written. But I do have a favorite song: 'Always on My Mind,' the Willie Nelson version. If I could sing it like he do, I would sing it every night. I like the story it tells.
I was never too keen on the British music press. They've called us a supermarket hype, and they used to suggest that we didn't write our own songs.
To most white people, jazz means black and jazz means dirt, and that's not what I play. I play black classical music.
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