Charlie Haden Professions : Musician Born : August 6, 1937 Died : July 11, 2014 Browse All Authors Top 38 quotes by Charlie Haden I've got a collection of songs that I've had, I keep adding to and they're all great American composers. I wanted to showcase American composers and I've done that on a lot of my records and played things by American composers that I really respect. Charlie Haden records done song I just sit down at the piano and rattle it off. Charlie Haden piano inspiration The whole underlying theme for the new music... is to communicate honest, human values, and in doing that to try to improve the quality of life. Charlie Haden honest quality trying When we first started playing we did a lot of rehearsing. We used to write out everything. In fact, that's the way everybody rehearses: we play the tunes and improvise. Charlie Haden tunes play writing It used to be that creative music was most of the music that you heard back in the '30s and '40s, and now it's like 3 percent. So, its kind of a struggle getttin' it out there. Charlie Haden creativity creative struggle I don't sing now, because I had polio when I was 15, bulbar polio. This was when the epidemic was happening. And I was lucky that it didn't affect my lungs or my legs. It went to my face and kind of paralyzed my vocal chords, and I wasn't able to sing. And they said I was very lucky that I would get over it, which I did. Charlie Haden face legs lucky said I have music inside me and I'm very lucky to be able to play music and that's the way that I try to do it. Charlie Haden me music lucky way Some tracks are with quartet and some tracks are with synthesizer. Charlie Haden quartet synthesizer tracks some I listened to classical music. I listened to jazz. I listened to everything. And I started becoming interested in the sounds of jazz. And I went to a concert of Jazz at the Philharmonic when we lived in Omaha, Nebraska, and I saw Charlie Parker play and Billie Holiday sing and Lester Young play, and that did it. I said, 'That's what I want to do.' Charlie Haden everything holiday music want That's what I tell my students at California Institute of the Arts where I taught for 27 years. I taught them if you strive to be a good person, maybe you might become a great jazz musician. Charlie Haden great good you good-person I want them to come away with discovering the music inside them. And not thinking about themselves as jazz musicians, but thinking about themselves as good human beings, striving to be a great person and maybe they'll become a great musician. Charlie Haden great good music thinking James Cotton is a real blues guy, and he played with Muddy Waters, and it surprised me that they would want me to make a record with them, that he called me to do this record. I'd never done anything like that before. But I love blues, so I was very happy. Charlie Haden never me happy love We're here to bring beauty to the world and make a difference in this planet. That's what art forms are about. Charlie Haden make-a-difference beauty world art I have a very clear picture of what I want to do and what I feel is important as far as my contribution or my appreciation and respect for this life that we're living, and to try to make it better. I can't feel that I'm making it better playing commercial music, and I never could, and I never will. Charlie Haden respect music appreciation life My parents were on the Grand Ole Opry. They traveled all over the country singing hillbilly music. That's what they called it back then. They were friends with Roy Acuff and the Delmore Brothers and the Carter Family. And all of my brothers and sisters who were older than me started on the show, after they were big enough to hold a guitar and sing. Charlie Haden me singing family music I can write a song about my hero Che Guevara and call it 'Song for Che.' Charlie Haden write i-can hero song You can't be at your full creative power if you are sedated. Charlie Haden your you creative power I want to expand jazz; I don't want to keep the audience limited. I want to reach people who have never come to a jazz concert before. One way to do that is by making records that have a lot of different kinds of music on them. Charlie Haden never music people way Similar Authors Adam Jones musician Izzy Stradlin musician Bon Scott musician Brad Delp musician Brad Delson musician Brian Eno musician All Authors