15 Duke Ellington Quotes on Music

Duke Ellington quotes on music

1. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing).

2. Playing 'Bop' is like playing Scrabble with all the vowels missing.

3. It's like an act of murder; you play with intent to commit something.

5. Roaming through the jungle of 'oohs' and 'ahs,' searching for a more agreeable noise, I live a life of primitivity with the mind of a child and an unquenchable thirst for sharps and flats.

6. If it sounds good, it IS good.

7. There's two kinds of music: good and bad. I like both.

10. By and large, jazz has always been like the kind of a man you wouldn't want your daughter to associate with.

13. I am a bandleader and I am a composer. I am not a teacher.

16. I like any and all of my associations with music- writing, playing, and listening. We write and play from our perspective, and the audience listens from its perspective. If and when we agree, I am lucky.

17. I live with music.

18. I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.

24. My biggest kick in music-playing or writing-is when I have a problem. Without a problem to solve, how much interest do you take in anything?

27. The wise musicians are those who play what they can master.

28. There is hardly any money interest in art, and music will be there when money is gone.

31. Jazz is music-Swing is business.