Roscoe Mitchell Quotes

I’m approaching a period in my life though where I’d like to be totally absorbed into music, doing concerts, writing something. Basically, that IS what I am doing.

To be a good improviser, you have to study composition as a parallel. Because what improvisation is, on a high level, is spontaneous composition.

I felt that I had been influenced by being in the city enough and I wanted to go off by myself to see what was going on. I remember going out there and looking in the mirror and thinking I wasn’t anything.

I always try to think of a vocabulary to match different musical situations.

What I’m after is a composed music that will sound like improvised music when improvisors play it. You shouldn’t be able to tell what parts are being improvised and what parts were written out beforehand; it should sound like the same music.

I’ve always been interested in shaping music in odd ways, with odd riffs and that’s been probably something that I’ve continued on with my studies with improvisation as I’m working with people.

I noticed that when it came time to improvise, my students would often make mistakes.

My central quest was to have a piece played on the saxophone sound like more than one instrument, exploiting different registers and wide interval leaps.

I don’t like to box myself in when I’m composing.

What I try to impart to a musician is to really try to practice the instrument in a really sincere way. Learn as much about music as you possibly can. Learn composition. Study to try to create compositions of your own and put your own personal touch on your music.

I’m into something that definitely does require your attention, and with that, you’re not going to run out of things to do. You’re never going to be the master of music.

I remember times when the whole music scene was just flourishing.

Creating sounds together with other musicians is something I’ve always liked doing.

I just consider myself a student, trying to learn more about it.

I’m trying to learn to really use space. My philosophy is that every time you interrupt space in a very confident, secure manner, then music happens.

This is what really makes real jazz musicians: people coming out with their own voice.

I feel I’m most successful when I’m playing a concert, and it doesn’t necessarily seem like I’m playing a saxophone but am coming off more like an orchestra or something like that.

Music has a way of getting under your skin.

Life is short, and, once somebody is gone, they’re gone.

If you listen to nature, all the sounds are done in a confident way. I’m trying to do that.

Man, I used to go around and think, ‘Oh my God, what must it be like to be going down the street, and someone asks you, ‘What’s your name?’ and the reply would be, ‘John Coltrane.’ I couldn’t imagine what that would be like.

I’m the kind of guy that if I go to a concert and hear something that knocks me out, I don’t want to be left out of that. I’m going to try to get into that, and I’m running back home to practice.