That's the thing: There are so many art songs in jazz. It's a much more rich experience for the singer than people think.
Kurt EllingRead
It helps me to learn things in different languages, even if it's just phonetically, and to make myself vulnerable to other audiences by trying to reflect back to them the genius of their own cultures, and to do that, oftentimes, in new jazz settings, new arrangements. It's a way to show respect.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of cultural respect and understanding through language and artistic expression.
Kurt Elling's quote highlights the value of engaging with different languages and cultures as a means of showing respect and humility. By learning to communicate, even if imperfectly, with diverse audiences, he reflects their cultural genius through innovative jazz arrangements, showcasing the interconnectedness of art and cultural appreciation.
Themes
CultureLanguageRespectArtJazz
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech at a multicultural event, you can use this quote to illustrate the significance of embracing different cultures.
More from Kurt Elling
All quotes →I try to stick with things that I can sing with honesty.
Kurt EllingRead
One doesn't have to scat to be a jazz singer.
Kurt EllingRead
I'm one of the culprits who keeps turning stuff around, shaking up original tunes and trying to stand the canon on its ear. But sometimes, you just need to sing the song.
Kurt EllingRead
Similar quotes
What I hate about kitchen-sink dramas is [this idea] that the set is real, therefore you're going to be seeing truth. You have to earn truth. Truth can't be a part of the fact that people appear to talk that way and live in that room. You're looking for the poetry in something, and I don't mean poetry in the fancy sense. Naturalism believes by just replicating a thing you give the truth, rather than earning the truth.
John GuareRead
Sometimes you have to go places with characters and emotions within yourself you don't want to do, but you have a duty to the story and as a storyteller to do it.
Hugh JackmanRead
I was going to go to a four-year college and be an anthropologist or to an art school and be an illustrator when a friend convinced me to learn photography at the University of Southern California. Little did I know it was a school that taught you how to make movies! It had never occurred to me that I'd ever have any interest in filmmaking.
George LucasRead
Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera.
Yousuf KarshRead
Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you have to offer.
Barbara KingsolverRead
The book, like the bicycle, is a perfect form.
Jacques BarzunRead