Jazz is a white term to define black people. My music is black classical music.
Nina SimoneRead
Sometimes I sound like gravel, and sometimes I sound like coffee and cream.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the duality of Nina Simone's musical style, showcasing her ability to convey a range of emotions and tones in her art.
Nina Simone's quote illustrates the complexity and versatility of her musical expression. By comparing her voice to 'gravel' and 'coffee and cream,' she highlights how her music can evoke raw, gritty emotions, while also being smooth and comforting. This duality in sound mirrors the intricacies of human experience, where joy and sorrow coexist, making her artistry deeply resonant and impactful.
Themes
MusicExpressionDualityArtistryEmotion
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on the importance of emotional expression in art, this quote could emphasize the power of music.
More from Nina Simone
All quotes βI only knew classical music, which to me was the only true music. The only way I could survive at the bar was to mix the classical music with popular songs, and that meant I had to sing. What happened was that I discovered I had a voice plus the talent to mix classical music together with more popular songs, which at the time I detested.
Nina SimoneRead
Everything that happened to me as a child involved music. It was part of everyday life, as automatic as breathing.
Nina SimoneRead
I didn't get interested in music. It was a gift from God.
Nina SimoneRead
This may be a dream, but I'll say it anyway: I was supposed to be married last year, and I bought a gown. When I meet Nelson Mandela, I shall put on this gown and have the train of it removed and put aside, and kiss the ground that he walks on and then kiss his feet.
Nina SimoneRead
I have to be composed; I have to be poised. I have to remember what my first piano teacher told me: 'You do not touch that piano until you are ready and until they are ready to listen to you.
Nina SimoneRead
Similar quotes
When I have to score a film, I watch the movie first and then start thinking about it. And from that moment on, it is as if I were pregnant. I then have to deliver the child, so from that moment on, I think always about the music - even when I go to the grocery store, I think about it.
Ennio MorriconeRead
The audience will find the artist who matches their interests. If you're not being true to yourself, your audience can't find you, because there's a wall up between who you are and who they're seeing.
Hilary HahnRead
I can get excitement watching rain on a puddle. And then I paint it. Now, I admit, there are not too many people who would find that exciting. But I would. And I want life thrilling and rich. And it is. I make sure it is.
David HockneyRead
Everything is art. Everything is politics.
Ai WeiweiRead
I continue to write essays about art. The visual is always part of my work, and it gives me immense pleasure to make up the words of art and create them verbally rather than build them.
Siri HustvedtRead
We attempted perfection; we wanted an object to be without flaw, so we cut the papers with a razor, pasted them down meticulously, but it buckled and was ruined... that is why we decided to tear prewrinkled paper, so that in the finished work of art imperfection would be an integral part, as if at birth death were built in.
Hans ArpRead