Benny Goodman was one of the big influences as a clarinet player. That's why I wanted the clarinet. Lee Konitz More Quotes by Lee Konitz More Quotes From Lee Konitz That's kind of my goal: to build a new row of meaningful tones. Lee Konitz tone goal meaningful Most jazz players work out their solos, at least to the extent that they have a very specific vocabulary. Lee Konitz vocabulary music player You just keep playing. If someone special comes along and organizes it in a new way, then you'll have another approach and everybody will jump on it to try to learn. Lee Konitz special trying way Many people do think it's naive to improvise in front of paying customers. I'm not saying one way is better than another. Lee Konitz people way thinking Labels don't mean anything to me. I'm trying to play as passionately as I'm able to. If they want to call that cool, that's fine. Just spell the name right, is the formula. Lee Konitz names play mean Out of Coltrane's whole history, there are things which I think are great from all the periods. Lee Konitz coltrane periods thinking We all learn from each other, and I never really hung out with guys in that way, so I missed out. Lee Konitz hung guy way It's very demanding to make up your own music. Lee Konitz In some ways Lester Young is the most complex rhythmically of any musician. He does some things which are just phenomenal. Lee Konitz musician doe way I love Indian music very much, but I haven't studied that specifically. Lee Konitz indian-music indian havens 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. Lee Konitz player new-york kids I understood that if I wanted to work, the saxophone was the main instrument. The clarinet was what we call a double. Lee Konitz double-standard saxophone instruments Names and theoretical things don't occur to me. If they do, I'm not doing my real playing mode. Lee Konitz doing-me real names I listen to classical music very much. There's a lot of jazz that I don't enjoy listening to. Lee Konitz classical-music jazz listening Sound is the first thing that we tune into. Lee Konitz music sound firsts I'd like to feel that whatever I play is a result of whatever I've heard. Lee Konitz jazz music play As long as there are people trying to play music in a sincere way, there will be Jazz. Lee Konitz music play long After playing now for 60 years, it's still very challenging for me to play a simple melody and have it clean and touch the reed at the proper time in the proper way. Lee Konitz simple play years I always felt as a horn player, a jam session wasn't satisfying enough for me. I should have been a rhythm section player, actually. Lee Konitz horny player should-have I could stop and say, Well that was a D minor, G seven, but I really don't want to know that. I just want to know that there's a combination of notes that makes a sound. Lee Konitz seven sound want
