PAT METHENY

Jazz is not something that can be defined through blunt instruments. It is much more poetic than that.

No two notes are ever the same volume. With the guitar, you really have to model in your mind this wider thing; you're trying to create the illusion of a bigger dynamic range.

I think I represent a more left-wing view of what jazz is.

I can't really say enough about Chris Potter. He is one of the greatest musicians I have ever known, and every second I have been on the band stand with him has been an absolute pleasure.

My older brother Mike is an excellent trumpet player. By the time he was 12, he was playing around Kansas City in classical situations. He was already an amazing talent.

What I look for in musicians is a sense of infinity.

Whatever my recorded output is, it's a reflection of a general love of music.

I hate the way chorus boxes sound.

There are some musicians who are talented and see themselves as some kind of natural geniuses or something because of a certain amount of natural ability. But that is often rarely the case over the long term.

I realized that equipment really had little to do with why I sound like the way I sound.

When talking about writing, I often use the analogy of archaeology. There are these great tunes all around. Your skill as a musician allows you to pick them out without breaking them.

From 1962 to 1965, the guitar became this icon of youth culture, thanks mostly to the Beatles.

If you come to my house, you won't see a wall of trophies or things like that. I'm sort of 'on to the next thing' all the time.

The guitar for me is a translation device. It's not a goal. And in some ways, jazz isn't a destination for me. For me, jazz is a vehicle that takes you to the true destination - a musical one that describes all kinds of stuff about the human condition and the way music works.

I'm always inspired when there's a robustness to the material in front of me.

It's more about conception and touch and spirit and soul than whether my hardware was in place.

I was able to work with the best musicians in Kansas City starting when I was really young.

I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music world and have been able to play exactly what I have wanted the way I have wanted.

I love playing and working on music. It is something that I feel really lucky to be able to spend my life doing. And I don't sleep much!

Listening is the key to everything good in music.

I'm triggering acoustic instruments. I'm literally beating, smacking, hitting, blowing, doing physical things. It's an incredibly exciting way to make music.

I would always contend that talent is an element, but over the long run, ultimately, a minor part of it all; it is mostly hard work.

I'm always trying to find 'connections' between things. That art is the juxtaposition of a lot of things that seem unrelated but add up to something recognizable.

I saw A Hard Day's Night 12 or 13 times.

Somehow, trumpet is the reference point for me - it was actually my first instrument.