I only hope that one day, America will recognize what the rest of the world already has known, that our indigenous music - gospel, blues, jazz and R&B - is the heart and soul of all popular music; and that we cannot afford to let this legacy slip into obscurity, I'm telling you.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of indigenous American music genres as foundational to popular music worldwide.
Quincy Jones expresses a deep hope that America will come to acknowledge and appreciate the rich contributions of its indigenous music styles, such as gospel, blues, jazz, and R&B. He highlights that these genres are not only integral to American culture but are also vital to the global music landscape, cautioning against allowing this significant legacy to fade away unnoticed.
In practice
This quote could be used in a speech about the cultural significance of music in America.
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?
Music in movies is all about dissonance and consonance, tension and release.
When you produce an album, you're dealing with it theatrically. It has to have a structure, and the inner response to that is that the ear loves it.
You can study orchestration, you can study harmony and theory and everything else, but melodies come straight from God.
I got a scholarship to Seattle University and I was writing arrangements for singers and everybody. But the music course was too dry and I really wanted to get away from home.
I tell my kids and I tell proteges, always have humility when you create and grace when you succeed, because it's not about you. You are a terminal for a higher power. As soon as you accept that, you can do it forever.
Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues.
I was signed to a record label at the same time as my friend Elliot Murphy, who makes great records to this day.
There's a lot of really inspiring music coming around the bend - we tend to believe that to sound classic or timeless is to sound vintage or retro. It's a little bit dangerous, because you'll really miss a chance to make your mark as a generation.
I used to be followed by a moon shadow. Now I'm followed by all these misconceptions, and they're like a ball and chain. I just want to write music from my heart and give people a message of hope and the search for a better place.
If You can play Your stuff in a pub, then You´re a good band.
I can't think of a greater guitar icon than someone who has the musical intellect to change what was there before and take music in another direction. That's a guitar hero for me.
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