Everyone talks about rock these days; the problem is they forget about the roll.
Keith RichardsRead
Rock and roll ain't nothing but jazz with a hard backbeat.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Rock and roll is fundamentally rooted in jazz, emphasizing rhythm and beat.
In this quote, Keith Richards highlights the connection between rock and roll music and its jazz origins. He emphasizes the importance of rhythm, suggesting that the vibrant and energetic nature of rock music can be traced back to the foundational elements of jazz, particularly its complex rhythms and improvisational style.
Themes
RockRollJazzMusicRhythm
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on the evolution of music genres.
More from Keith Richards
All quotes βThere's just certain styles of playing that you do play in your own way. Maybe it's in the way your fingers bend, for all I know. And so whenever you pick up the guitar it's not so much the sound of the instrument itself, it's like the ting that you add onto it-the attitude.
Keith RichardsRead
If you've gotta think about being cool, you ain't cool.
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If you don't know the blues... there's no point in picking up the guitar and playing rock and roll or any other form of popular music.
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There's something beautifully friendly and elevating about a bunch of guys playing music together. This wonderful little world that is unassailable. It's really teamwork, one guy supporting the others, and it's all for one purpose, and there's no flies in the ointment, for a while. And nobody conducting, it's all up to you. It's really jazz__that's the big secret. Rock and roll ain't nothing but jazz with a hard backbeat.
Keith RichardsRead
When you're supported by millions all over the world, you can either go nuts, or try to feed off the goodwill.
Keith RichardsRead
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