Kamasi Washington Quotes

But you can't extend, or go beyond any point musically, without the basic fundamentals.

I believe that experimenting is what production is. But it doesn't mean much if you don't have a solid foundation in what you're experimenting with. You can't really deviate from music unless you know music; it's not gonna work.

I love stretching myself musically.

It's probably a combination of personal and non-personal matters that have led us to where we are musically.

A lot of times, when a band finds success with a certain style or sound, they have a really hard time breaking away from that to grow as artists.

I grew up with the piano. I learned its language as I learned to speak.

I think there are so many ways to become interested in music. I believe signs of sustained interest gives a sense of the right time. Music, if thought of as a language, would perhaps indicate that as early as possible is not so bad. I do believe that a really nurturing first teacher that makes the child love something is crucial.

What I'm hoping is that every album I'm going to do will give my audience something different, and that they'll grow as I do.

Jazz is not the format where I want to stay, but it really is a starting point for me.

When I first decided I wanted to make beats and write songs and stuff like that, it wasn't like I sat down and the first thing I wrote was even halfway legit. It took a while to find my way through it.

My only ambition is to grow as a musician.

I'm a big, big blues fan and the last several years I've really invested in the blues a lot, and I think my playing is getting better because of it - not necessarily better on a technical level, but certainly on a level of appropriateness.

I feel like my music has become a lot of things. It's hard to label the evolution, but I like there to be an evolution. I just like to paint with all different kinds of colors.

With '8 Diagrams,' I just skimmed the surface of musical exploration.

Every time I'd sing or play piano when I was a child, my dad would yell up from the basement, 'That's B-flat!'

My playground as a musician is growing.

I think it's important to evolve and make a different record every time as an artist.

I used to feel that musical knowledge and emotional truth-telling were antagonistic. But I was too curious about chords and instruments and recording to stay locked in that mentality.

Once you have an established song, you can really come out of your shell and experiment with the sound you want to make.

I want to explore all genres.

The older I get, the more interest I have in writing other kinds of music.

No artist is one-dimensional. I get the sense that if I push myself now and if I create a million different-sounding songs - I just feel that's going to be such a set-up for my ability in the future.

I definitely wanted the second record to be a much more grandiose thing. I wanted to push myself and make a big statement.

I started training with singing and dance lessons at the same time. Also, I was taking Japanese lessons too, when I was eleven or twelve. After school, I went to the recording studio.

I never want to make one type of music. You wouldn't just eat sushi for the rest of your life - there's so much more food.