Dexter Gordon Quotes

When you know the lyrics to a tune, you have some kind of insight as to it's composition.

I hope we left you with something to put under your pillows.

Jazz to me is a living music. It's a music that since its beginning has expressed the feelings, the dreams, hopes, of the people.

Jazz is a beautiful word. I love it.

What I'm doing, I prefer to call that jazz, because it is a beautiful word - I love it.

Bebop is the music of the future (as soon as they learn how to play it).

In nuclear war, all men are cremated equal.

When you know the lyrics to a tune, you have some kind of insight as to it's composition. If you don't understand what it's about, you're depriving yourself of being really able to communicate this poem.

Jazz is an octopus. It will take whatever it can use and it will work with it.

If you can't play the Blues you might as well hang it up.

Music is a reservoir... of sounds.

To have a little recognition, that is very nice, you dig. It is good for the ego, for the psyche.

Thelonius Monk was not exactly 'the guy next door'.

A lot of times I go back to record and to make a tour, but I'm very happy to do it, because it gives me an opportunity to dig and hear what's going on.

Jazz to me is a living music.

If I were to call it black music, that would be untrue. I don't know what that is, unless it would be some African drums or something.

In jazz, there is a lot of European influence harmonically.