I started imagining this whole different world. It was a society of musicians, a family I hoped I could belong to one day.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the longing for connection and belonging within a community of like-minded individuals, particularly in the realm of music.
Quincy Jones expresses his desire to be part of a close-knit community that understands and shares his passion for music. This quote reveals how imagination can create a sense of belonging and how one can dream of finding their place in a world where they feel accepted and appreciated for their talents.
In practice
During my speech about the power of creativity, I quoted Quincy Jones to illustrate the importance of belonging in the arts.
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.
The Official Bulletin declared that the Poles should be as proud of me as the Germans are of Mozart; obvious nonsense.
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.
The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band
I don't rely on my figure to sell records.
It's not exclusive, but inclusive, which is the whole spirit of jazz.
I know what I've done for music, but don't call me a legend. Just call me Miles Davis.
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