Making money ain't nothing exciting to me. You might be able to buy a little better booze than the wino on the corner. But you get sick just like the next cat and when you die you're just as graveyard dead as he is.
Louis ArmstrongRead
The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician. Things like old folks singing in the moonlight in the back yard on a hot night or something said long ago.
Interpretation
What this quote means
For jazz musicians, remembering past experiences influences their music.
In this quote, Louis Armstrong emphasizes the significance of memories and experiences in shaping a jazz musician's artistry. He suggests that the essence of jazz is deeply rooted in personal memories, such as the sounds and feelings captured from moments in life, whether it's the nostalgic sound of old folks singing under the moonlight or reflections from conversations long past. These elements are essential for creating authentic and emotional music.
Themes
JazzMemoryMusicExperienceNostalgia
In practice
Example use cases
During a jazz festival, a speaker quoted Armstrong to remind musicians of their roots.
More from Louis Armstrong
All quotes →Very few of the men whose names have become great in the early pioneering of jazz and of swing were trained in music at all. They were born musicians: they felt their music and played by ear and memory. That was the way it was with the great Dixieland Five.
Louis ArmstrongRead
My whole life, my whole soul, my whole spirit is to blow that horn.
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I've Got the World on a String.
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It's America's classical music ... this becomes our tradition ... the bottom line of any country in the world is what did we contribute to the world? ... we contributed Louis Armstrong
Louis ArmstrongRead
When I was young and very green, I worte that tune, Sister Kate, and someone said that's fine, let me publish it for you. I'll give you fifty dollars. I didn't know nothing about papers, and business, and I sold it outright.
Louis ArmstrongRead
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