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.
My whole life, my whole soul, my whole spirit is to blow that horn.
The idea of being a rock and roll musician sort of suited my talents and mentality. The freedom was great, but then I found out I wasn't free. I'd got boxed in...The whole Beatle thing is just beyond comprehension ... subconsciously I was crying for help.
I never sang for a Grammy, for money, for fame. That's my whole purpose for singing: for people, for the fans.
To jazz, or not to jazz, there is no question!
I'd bite off the Beatles, or anybody else. It's all one world, one planet and one groove. You're supposed to learn from each other, blend from each other, and it moves around like that.
The difference between blues, jazz, rock n' roll and rap is that rap stayed poor. Even the white rappers are poor. It's scarier to look at poor people; it makes everyone uncomfortable. Their pain is something that people would like to see swept under the rug.
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