Music isn't about music, it's about life.
Herbie HancockRead
A jazz musician is not a jazz musician when he or she is eating dinner or when he or she is with his parents or spouse or neighbors. He's above all a human being . . . the true artform is being a human being.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The essence of being an artist lies in embracing our humanity beyond artistic roles.
In this quote, Herbie Hancock emphasizes that a jazz musician, or any artist, is fundamentally a human being first. While their art is an important aspect of their identity, it is essential to remember that they possess a broader set of experiences and emotions that define who they are. The true art comes from the authenticity of being human, which informs and enriches their artistic expression.
Themes
JazzHuman BeingArtMusicianAuthenticity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can inspire artists during a creative retreat to reflect on their personal lives.
More from Herbie Hancock
All quotes →I don't mind being classified as a jazz artist, but I do mind being restricted to being a jazz artist. My foundation has been in jazz, though I didn't really start out that way. I started in classical music, but my formative years were in jazz, and it makes a great foundation.
Herbie HancockRead
In World War II, jazz absolutely was the music of freedom, and then in the Cold War, behind the Iron Curtain, same thing. It was all underground, but they needed the food of freedom that jazz offered.
Herbie HancockRead
I think people have learned that Herbie Hancock can be defined as someone that you won't be able to figure out what he's going to do next. The sky is the limit as far as I'm concerned.
Herbie HancockRead
One thing that sticks in my mind is that jazz means freedom and openness. It's a music that, although it developed out of the African American experience, speaks more about the human experience than the experience of a particular people.
Herbie HancockRead
I started off with classical music, and I got into jazz when I was about 14 years old. And I've been playing jazz ever since.
Herbie HancockRead
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I hate this life of the fashionable world, always ordered, measured, ruled, like our music-paper. What I have always wished for, desired, and coveted, is the life of an artist, free and independent, relying only on my own resources, and accountable only to myself.
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