Relax, ease back in your seats and let the music take you wherever it does.
John DenverRead
When you're at a concert and you hear someone improvise well, that's special; it puts you in the moment and takes you someplace. To pull that off, a musician must be able to play his or her instrument really well, but more importantly must also be able to express something and take the listeners beyond themselves.
Interpretation
Impressive musicianship allows artists to connect deeply with their audience.
In this quote, John Popper emphasizes the unique experience of live music, especially when a musician improvises skillfully. He suggests that such moments transcend mere technical ability; they require a deep emotional expression that can transport the audience and create a meaningful connection between the artist and the listeners.
In practice
Sharing this quote during a music workshop to highlight the importance of emotional connection in performance.
Relax, ease back in your seats and let the music take you wherever it does.
Many people forget that Jazz, no matter what form it takes, must come from the heart as well as the mind.
One thing is that I wasn't getting booked that well, and they had control over who got the awards, they had control over who sold. And they really did not want Willie or me, either one, to have a hit record. They wanted the money, but they didn't want us to be the ones.
Reading the script, I started feeling very deeply bad for Freddie. Between his friends, his partners, and his woman, he was catching a hard time. 'Freddie's Dead' came to me immediately.
Jazz is there and gone. It happens. You have to be present for it. That simple.
If you come from Africa with your economic poverty and your cultural riches, and you meet someone like Peter Gabriel or a person from a big record company, and they tell you that what you are doing is marvelous, that makes you feel powerful.
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