If You Want To Be Different, Do

Because The Blues Is The Basis Of Most American Music In The 20th Century. It's A 12-bar Form That's Played By Jazz, Bluegrass And Country Musicians. It Has A Rhythmic Vocabulary That's Been Used By Rock N' Roll. It's Related To Spirituals, And Even The American Fiddle Tradition.

Jazz Is Democracy In Music.

It's Really Not A Stretch. The Checks And Balances Are The Same. The Drums Are The Executive Branch. The Jazz Orchestra Is The Legislative Branch. Logic And Reason Are Like Jazz Solos. The Bass Player Is The Judicial Branch. One Our Greatest Ever Is Milt Hinton, And His Nickname Is "the Judge."

New Orleans Had A Great Tradition Of Celebration. Opera, Military Marching Bands, Folk Music, The Blues, Different Types Of Church Music, Ragtime, Echoes Of Traditional African Drumming, And All Of The Dance Styles That Went With This Music Could Be Heard And Seen Throughout The City. When All Of These Kinds Of Music Blended Into One, Jazz Was Born.

I Believe In Professionalism, But Playing Is Not Like A Job. You Have To Be Grateful To Have The Opportunity To Play.