Charlie Haden Quotes

Blues is my life. It's a true feeling that comes from the heart, not something that just comes out of my mouth. Blues is what I love, and blues is what I always do.

I just live my life and try to be present. When I'm present in the moment and something comes, I can capture it, because it doesn't come from me, it's out there.

For me, singing was real life, not two plus two equals four.

Jazz is letting everybody do his or her thing with the music.

The radio is playing jazz, and I listen to the sound of the trumpet playing a solo until I become that sound.

There are no ordinary moments.

For me, writing has always come out of living a fairly to-the-bone kind of life, just really being present to a lot of life. The writing has been really a byproduct of that.

I think, for me anyway, music and film is where you can really transport yourself to another universe.

Music is such a big part of my life.

The only element of jazz that I keep is improvisation.

Music has always been a huge part of my life from a very young age, and today it remains a very powerful and natural way for me to connect with people, as well as my children.

Music has nothing to do with your technical ability.

If you took music out of my life, I don't know what I'd do. It's the one thing that I have a real passion for.

I don't know, my music has always just come from where the wind blew me. Like where I'm at during a particular moment in time.

To me, music has to be about freedom. It's the most important thing in my life.

Well, jazz is to me, a complete lifestyle. It's bigger than a word. It's a much bigger force than just something that you can say. It's something that you have to feel. It's something that you have to live.

Any talk of 'craft' makes me laugh. My music looks outward; it does not gaze upon itself in admiration. Artisanal is for cheesemakers. I don't know anything about music theory. Every time I approach my guitar, it's like the first time. There's no craft in that.

When we separate music from life we get art.

Maybe it's egocentric or whatever, but when I'm playing Beethoven, Bach, Hendrix, or whoever it is, in the end, it just feels like my own music and I'm making it up as I'm going along.

I really try to wake up with my music the same as I do with my life, and that is with no expectations. I just feel what I feel that day and follow it.

Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art.

A wonderful acting teacher I love, Josh Pais, has a system I love for being in the moment in acting, but also in life. And one of the things he reminds me of is to take a moment and just be here now.

I was curious and hungry at a young age, and jazz was such a mystery to me, an ocean where you can express yourself in the moment. It represented freedom, it represented wearing wings and going somewhere with music.

For me, playing music is like meditating - I just play and don't really think about what I'm doing, I just let it happen.

In Method acting, you can't have preconceived ideas. You have to live in the moment. You have to keep yourself open.