Sometimes I sound like gravel, and sometimes I sound like coffee and cream.
Nina SimoneRead
To most white people, jazz means black and jazz means dirt, and that's not what I play. I play black classical music.
Interpretation
Nina Simone emphasizes that jazz is often misrepresented and underappreciated, as it is deeply rooted in African American culture and artistry.
In this quote, Nina Simone reflects on how the genre of jazz is often stereotyped by predominantly white audiences who associate it with negativity or 'dirt.' She asserts her identity as a performer who plays 'black classical music,' highlighting the sophistication and richness of jazz, which deserves recognition for its cultural significance and artistry beyond the superficial judgments often imposed by society.
In practice
In a discussion about the evolution of jazz in a music history class.
Sometimes I sound like gravel, and sometimes I sound like coffee and cream.
Jazz is a white term to define black people. My music is black classical music.
I 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.
Everything that happened to me as a child involved music. It was part of everyday life, as automatic as breathing.
I didn't get interested in music. It was a gift from God.
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.
To me, hip hop will never be right until female rappers have a stronger voice in it.
I think the idea is now for blacks to write about the history of our music. It's time for that, because whites have been doing it all the time. It's time for us to do it ourselves and tell it like it is.
As far as I'm concerned, there won't be a Beatles reunion as long as John Lennon remains dead.
Technically, I'm not a guitar player, all I play is truth and emotion.
Jazz washes away the dust of every day life.
I joined Count Basie's band to make a little money and to see the world. For two years I didn't see anything but the inside of a Blue Goose bus, and I never got to send home a quarter.
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