If you listen to Louis Armstrong from 1929, you will never hear anything better than that really, and you will never hear anything more free than that. Steve Lacy More Quotes by Steve Lacy More Quotes From Steve Lacy Bamboo is not a weed, it's a flowering plant. Bamboo is a magnificent plant. Steve Lacy bamboo marijuana weed You must have the music to justify an instrument's extensive use. Steve Lacy justify instruments use I've been working on the soprano saxophone for 40 years, and the possibilities are astounding. It's up to you, the only limit is the imagination. Steve Lacy up-to-you imagination years The more original something is, the more of a threat it seems until the people catch up with it. That happened with Thelonious Monk. It happened with anybody who is really original. Steve Lacy threat monk people Make the drummer sound good. Steve Lacy crafts drummer sound Circumstances can be very important. Find the right people to work with. Steve Lacy important circumstances people I started in New Orleans music and played all through the history of jazz. Steve Lacy jazz music new-orleans I wanted to be a pianist but it just wasn't my thing. I guess I wanted to stand up rather than sit down. Steve Lacy pianist wanted Nobody was playing the soprano saxophone and certainly nobody was trying to do anything with it. So I was all alone. I didn't know that at first. Steve Lacy saxophone trying firsts Kenny G, I have to be grateful to him for proving that the instrument can be played all different kinds of ways. Steve Lacy grateful different way Register is very important. Music sounds best in a certain register. Steve Lacy certain important sound A young pianist & composer who has demonstrated an exceptional creativity, in both his playing & his writing, as well as showing us all, his very strong commitment & motivation to aim for high musical goals. Talent like his is rare. Steve Lacy motivation strong writing Before the work comes to you, you have to invent work. Steve Lacy When I found the music of Monk I finally found music that fit that horn. Every one of his tunes fit it perfectly. Steve Lacy horny fit tunes If you have music you want to play that no one asks you to play, you have to go out and find where you can play it. It's called do or die. Steve Lacy dies want play I still love the whole history of Jazz. The old things sound better than ever. Steve Lacy old-things music sound Play difficult and interesting things. If you play boring things, you risk losing your appetite. Saxophone can be tedious with too much of the same. Steve Lacy risk play interesting If you're trying to invent something new, you're going to reach a lot of discouraging points, and most people give up. Steve Lacy giving-up stars people I fell in love with jazz when I was 12 years old from listening to Duke Ellington and hearing a lot of jazz in New York on the radio. Steve Lacy new new-york listening love I was spoiled by Monk's music because it was so good, so complete. Steve Lacy good spoiled monk music