|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wynton Marsalis
Pulitzer Prize for Music
Some people they just want to play music for the ego purposes. They don't really want to play music, they want to be known. So to those people, I give like some impossible exercise to do and tell them to call me back after they've done that. I say, "Oh, you want to do that? Okay. Well, learn all your major and minor scales, learn all your chord progressions, get these three books, and do this exercise for a year. And, then when I come back, come for me and play." But that's not what they are interested in. They want to know how to get a record contract. So I say, "Learn these five records and come back." But you never see them again because they're not interested in music.
View Interview with Wynton Marsalis
View Biography of Wynton Marsalis
View Profile of Wynton Marsalis
View Photo Gallery of Wynton Marsalis
|
|
|
Wynton Marsalis
Pulitzer Prize for Music
Economic achievement really doesn't mean anything in music. I could go out tomorrow and win the lottery, and win $20 million, but when I sit down to the piano to write a song, or try to give logic and coherence to some music, or to peep some beauty out, or to develop in my art form, all that money is not going to help me at all. And, that is why art has been used as a barometer of history because it is incorruptible. You can't corrupt it. The only way to achieve a level of beauty and a sophistication is through doing the work. There's no other way. You can't money your way into being Picasso. There just is no way. You have to have the talent, and then you have to forge that talent through years of dedication. Not through a week or a month or even with phenomenal talent, even the most talented musicians, they still have to work harder to hone their talent, to shape a sort of beauty.
View Interview with Wynton Marsalis
View Biography of Wynton Marsalis
View Profile of Wynton Marsalis
View Photo Gallery of Wynton Marsalis
|
|
|
Johnny Mathis
Grammy Hall of Fame
I always made sure that I kept the dignity, or tried to keep the dignity that they showed, by standing there and singing and not doing too much else, because I didn't know what else to do. But you know, sometimes you can get carried away and I don't know, lose your composure or something. But I was very conscious of that, I said, "All I'm going to do is sing. I'll be out of here in a minute. You guys just enjoy. I'll sing my hit songs," and that's kind of the way I thought about it. But then, of course, the natural kind of intellect that you have comes into being, and I realized that what they were -- people who were ignorant of the fact that we were all doing the same thing -- I mean, come on, the skin color's a little different. But then you go on television. I said, "I look white! My hair isn't nappy, it's straight," and I said, "What's the big deal?" And then, of course, before I knew it, things got better.
View Interview with Johnny Mathis
View Biography of Johnny Mathis
View Profile of Johnny Mathis
View Photo Gallery of Johnny Mathis
|
| |
|
