Anything you are shows up in your music - jazz is whatever you are, playing yourself, being yourself, letting your thoughts come through.
Mary Lou WilliamsRead
Many people forget that Jazz, no matter what form it takes, must come from the heart as well as the mind.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Jazz should be an expression of both emotion and intellect.
Mary Lou Williams emphasizes that true jazz music is a blend of emotional expression and intellectual creativity. It should not be just a technical exercise; rather, it must resonate from oneβs heart while being informed by thoughtful understanding.
Themes
JazzMusicEmotionIntellectArt
In practice
Example use cases
During a music appreciation class, this quote could inspire students to explore deeper emotional connections in jazz.
More from Mary Lou Williams
All quotes βSimilar quotes
The Beatles saved the world from boredom.
George HarrisonRead
When Van Halen started out, there was no path to fame. We just played what we liked. Even today it always comes down to the simplicity of rock and roll.
Eddie Van HalenRead
Too many jazz pianists limit themselves to a personal style, a trademark, so to speak. They confine themselves to one type of playing.
Oscar PetersonRead
Rap is supposed to be about keeping it real and not relinquishing your roots in the community. Without that, it's just posturing. Somebody who claims to speak for the 'hood don't need no private jet.
Chuck DRead
One thing is that I wasn't getting booked that well, and they had control over who got the awards, they had control over who sold. And they really did not want Willie or me, either one, to have a hit record. They wanted the money, but they didn't want us to be the ones.
Waylon JenningsRead
You start out playing rock 'n' roll so you can have sex and do drugs, but you end up doing drugs so you can still play rock 'n' roll and have sex.
Mick JaggerRead