Quote collection
33 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"But, I don't think any arranger should ever write a drum part for a drummer because if a drummer can't create his own Interpretation of the chart and he plays everything that's written, he becomes mechanical; he has no freedom."
"You only get better by playing."
"And, you know, I think the original recording of Ravel's Bolero, probably whoever played percussion on that, will never have It played better than that."
"But, when you have to resort to turntables, trick lights, flashing lights, fire and all that, you're actually saying, I need this because what I do is not all that together."
"A great musician is just a thief who doesn't get caught"
"Average band with a great drummer sounds great, great band with an average drummer sounds average."
"I play a percussion instrument, not a musical saw; it needs no amplification. Where it's needed, they put a microphone in front of the bass drum. But, I don't think it's necessary to play that way every night."
"Every drummer that had a name, had a name because of his individual playing. He didn't sound like anybody else, So everybody that I ever listened to, in some form, influenced my taste."
"But I think that any young drummer starting out today should get himself a great teacher and learn all there is to know about the instrument that he wants to play."
"I think it's a fallacy that the harder you practice the better you get."
"I consider every drummer that ever played before me an influence, in every way."
"If he's a true symphony artist, he knows better than that because he knows that the only truly creative musician is the jazz musician."
"I mean, I think I liked every band I ever played in because each band was different, each band had a different concept, and each band leader was different... different personalities and musical tastes."
"I think at one time every drummer wanted to play like Krupa or wanted to win a Gene Krupa drum contest. This is the big inspiration for drummers and naturally it has to be the same way for me."
"I think the drummer should sit back there and play some drums, and never mind about the tunes. Just get up there and wail behind whoever is sitting up there playing the solo. And this is what is lacking, definitely lacking in music today."
"Almost everything I've done, I've done through my own creativity. I don't think I ever had to listen to anyone else to learn how to play drums. I wish I could say that for about ten thousand other drummers."
"But primarily, the drummer's supposed to sit back there and swing the band."
"I can think of a lot better things to do with my hands than to cut them up on the rim of a drum."
"There are only two types of music.good and bad."
"There were so many individual styles thirty or forty years ago."