Joseph Jarman Quotes

I don't want to sound as if I'm doing something tremendously special. But I am a jazz fan.

I think Wes Montgomery is the greatest jazz guitarist that ever lived.

You know, I'm really not that bright.

I'm no genius.

Clifford Brown was in the jazz circles considered to be probably the greatest trumpet player who ever lived.

You're taught from a very young age that you shouldn't get too big for your britches, so I tend to err way too much on the side of 'Nothing means anything.'

I'm not really the cool dude at all.

There have been many great musicians that, Clifford Brown is one great example, I mean he died very early, 25.

I think you have to have a jazz pedigree to be on jazz radio.

I'm not that interesting!

I never said I was a genius.

When I came out of the conservatory, the first thing I did was to go see Thelonious Monk.

Man, I used to go around and think, 'Oh my God, what must it be like to be going down the street, and someone asks you, 'What's your name?' and the reply would be, 'John Coltrane.' I couldn't imagine what that would be like.

I never insisted that I was a good student.

I'll downplay myself before I compliment myself.

I'm not that cool or anything.

I never really do anything show-off-y, I keep it humble.

My friends kidded me about going so far on such modest talent. I always agreed with them. I had no illusions about my films, nor did I consider myself anything special as an actor or a singer.

My aunt Ruth Brown was a jazz musician. I got hooked on it at a young age, understanding what John Coltrane was doing playing two notes on the saxophone at the same time, which is impossible.

I'm not trying to be modest of self-deprecating or in any way trying to do that.

By no means do I consider myself this great sparkling personality.

So our ears got used to listening to jazz in the place that it was that the bass player could not play. No one really realized it and really addressed it until the bass players who could play their instrument came along and started doing something with it.

I heard Sidney Bechet play a Duke Ellington piece and fell in love with the soprano saxophone.

I'm a humble guy, okay?

Bernstein grew up in my building in New York. He's a very, very fine player. When he was a kid, he came by to find out what was going on in the world of jazz.