You can grow up with literally nothing and you donβt suffer if you know youβre loved and valued.
Esperanza SpaldingRead
I always say that the problem with jazz accessibility is not the content of the music, it's people's ability to access it.
Interpretation
Jazz is not inherently difficult; rather, people's exposure and willingness to engage with it are the main barriers to accessibility.
Esperanza Spalding emphasizes that the perceived exclusivity of jazz music arises not from its complexity but from the listener's limited access and exposure to this genre. The quote suggests that fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation for jazz among audiences is key to breaking down barriers and enhancing its accessibility.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about promoting jazz music in schools and communities.
You can grow up with literally nothing and you donβt suffer if you know youβre loved and valued.
There's nothing wrong with struggle. Anytime I look back at a difficult phase of my life and see what grew out of it - the creative survival tactics - I think that the good is way better than the bad.
I don't think it's about playing and singing, to be honest. That seems like old news, you know? I wasn't thinking about that. I just think that's in my body now. Dancers don't think about their legs moving one way and their arms moving another. Over time, you incorporate that into your instrument.
It's a pity that if someone who has a really profoundly potent art to share chooses not to or doesn't fit into this very thin slice of what's desirable and marketable, chances are the public will never get a chance to hear what they're doing.
I just think music is so intrinsically linked with images in the culture that we live in that you'll be hard-pressed to have an experience with the music without a preconceived notion.
When something in art or music piques my interest, I tend to go check it out, and most things I check out, I'm not very good at. But a few things I've gone to check out have given me back as much love as I gave them, usually much more.
My dad would always ask, 'How's the money?' but I was never interested. Millions came and went, stolen by the robbers in the music industry. But as someone said, 'You'll never be poor as long as you can pick up a guitar.'
What I like about pop music, and why I'm still attracted to it, is that in the end it becomes our folk music.
It is Billie Holiday who was, and still remains, the greatest single musical influence on me.
Silence ought also to be the core of each concert. Remember the anagram: listen = silent.
I was looking for some way to put my music to some service on a nightly basis. You go into a town, you play a little music, you leave something behind. That idea connected us to the local community. It was a very simple idea, but it really resonated with me.
There's something beautifully friendly and elevating about a bunch of guys playing music together. This wonderful little world that is unassailable. It's really teamwork, one guy supporting the others, and it's all for one purpose, and there's no flies in the ointment, for a while. And nobody conducting, it's all up to you. It's really jazz__that's the big secret. Rock and roll ain't nothing but jazz with a hard backbeat.
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