Lee Konitz Quotes

With horns and a full rhythm section, the drums always looked like the best seat in the house.

In jazz, you listen to what the bass player is doing and what the drummer is doing, what the pianist and the guitarist is doing, and then you play something that compliments that, so you are thinking simultaneously and thinking ahead.

With my little band, I did everything they did with a big band. I made the blues jump.

You can't beat two guitars, bass, and drums.

I mean, in the course of an evening, people will take a solo here and there, but generally it's all about the rhythm of that music. Dealing with the rhythm with everything. That's essentially at least my concept of what that group is.

I think the drummer should sit back there and play some drums, and never mind about the tunes. Just get up there and wail behind whoever is sitting up there playing the solo. And this is what is lacking, definitely lacking in music today.

When I heard BB King's 'Sweet Sixteen,' I knew I wanted to play bass because that was the thing that made that record: the bass player.

I started out as a drummer, and now play with a back-to-basics rock band called the 'Luddites.' I'm happiest when I'm behind the kit.

I wish I could play bass like Larry Graham or Bootsy Collins. My God, I'd give up just about everything else for that.

To me, Bill's musical heart is in Earthworks, in the jazz they are playing, in the acoustic kit.

An important part of being in a band is the rhythm section.

As a musician, I don't think I'm the greatest guitar player. I'm a bigger fan of the drums than I am the guitar; I just happen to play guitar. I play drums almost every day at my house. I wrote a lot of songs behind the drum kit, just having the music and vocals in my head and playing the rhythm.

I mean, I can sit down with a guitar, and in fact, we do two, three songs with just guitar and percussion.

I love to play smaller crowds with the Rhythm Kings.

I can't even imagine something being more fun than playing James Brown onstage.

We grew up with musicians coming over jamming. We had tons of instruments. So holidays were always like, 50 people would come over, and there would be a jam session with everyone playing jazz.

'Black Radio' was pretty much a jam session.

No matter what happens with EDM, I would like to go to New Orleans and just play with one of those small funk bands in an intimate venue. How cool would it be to work with a band with those huge horn lines and produce all of that great funk that makes you just want to party?

Traditionally, the role of the bass player was just to keep things simple and solid, so it's really a special thing when you can get a player that can actually bring in a lot of presence and also a visual presence, too.

Being a bass player in a band without a drummer for seven, eight years has been kind of weird.

Who knows ... we'll be playing Jazz and having a good time!

I've had the honor of sitting in with the Allmans at their Beacon shows a couple of times, and it just doesn't get better than that.

I remember my brother came home with a bass and played a blues solo on it. I just went insane for days afterwards learning that.

Kerrang asked us to do a heavy metal tribute to one of our favorite heavy metal bands. We had already been jamming out on 'Walk,' so we're like, 'OK. We'll record it for you guys.'

I don't want to be a lead player. I don't want to shred and play fast licks. I just want to be the best rhythm section ever.