My greatest teacher was not a vocal coach, not the work of other singers, but the way Tommy Dorsey breathed and phrased on the trombone.
Interpretation
Frank Sinatra attributes his musical education to the unique style of Tommy Dorsey rather than traditional teaching methods.
In this quote, Frank Sinatra emphasizes that the most impactful lessons he learned about music came not from formal instruction or other singers, but from observing Tommy Dorsey's approach to playing the trombone. This suggests that experiential learning and the ability to absorb inspiration from others can be just as valuable, if not more so, than conventional learning methods.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of learning from role models in any field.
With few exceptions, every major pop singer in the US during her generation has been touched in some way by her genius. It is Billie Holiday who was, and still remains, the greatest single musical influence on me. Lady Day is unquestionably the most important influence on American popular singing in the last twenty years.
When lip service to some mysterious deity permits bestiality on Wednesday and absolution on Sunday, cash me out.
There have been many accolades uttered about Elvis' talent and performances through the years, all of which I agree with wholeheartedly. I shall miss him dearly as a friend. He was a warm, considerate and generous man.
Dare to wear the foolish clown face.
I want to wake up in a city that never sleeps
I think my greatest ambition in life is to pass on to others what I know.
I think the problem with people, as they start to mature, they say, 'Rap is a young man's game,' and they keep trying to make young songs. But you don't know the slang - it changes every day, and you're just visiting. So you're trying to be something you're not, and the audience doesn't buy into that.
There's been a lot of talk about Jack White wanting to work with me, and I've always admired him, and of course, he lives in Nashville, too.
There is nothing to keeping a band together. You simply have to have a gimmick, and the gimmick I use is to pay them money!
Hurry, get on board, it's comin', listen to those rails a-thrumming all aboard. Get on the "A" train, soon you will be on Sugar Hill in Harlem.
Just blow in it and sound bad for about a year and then make it sound a little bit better, and you get a little band together, and then you get a few jobs. You take four guys that sound half bad, but if they're 25 percent each, they can give 100 percent, you know?
Basically, I started singing when I started talking. Music has just been my saving grace my whole life.
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