Art Blakey Quotations

Jazz is known all over the world as an American musical art form and that's it. No America, no jazz. I've seen people try to connect it to other countries, for instance to Africa, but it doesn't have a damn thing to do with Africa.

You can't seperate modern jazz from rock or from rhythm and blues - you can't seperate it. Because that's where it all started, and that's where it all come from - that's where I learned to keep rhythm - in church

A name doesn't make the music. It's just called that to differentiate it from other types of music.

Music washes away the dust of every day life.

Music is supposed to wash away the dust of everyday life

What ever truth drops on it eventually grinds to a powder.

Jazz washes away the dust of every day life.

so go on and play, and if you make a mistake, make it loud so you won't make it next time.

Jazz, I mean, music will always move, because it can't become stagnant. Because if it becomes stagnant, it's like a river, it'll kill us all. It has to keep moving, music will always flow.

If you feel like tapping your feet, tap your feet.

It takes an intelligent ear to listen to Jazz.

All you have to do is be able to feel.

They say that Jazz is back, and I don't think it's gone anywhere. But they say it's back.

That.s what Jazz music is all about.We started the Messengers because somebody had to mind the store for jazz.No America--no Jazz. It is the only culture that America has brought forth.

Who knows ... we'll be playing Jazz and having a good time!

The people know more about [Jazz] in other countries than in America. America is the last country to know about anything, because we're too fat, we have too much of everything, you understand? And we do not listen.

There's nothing wrong with it. It's only a word. What's in a name? Nothing! Cats say, "Call me Muhammed so-and-so. "

We're here to have a ball.