Tony Bennett Quotes

I learned my phrasing from Frank. I loved him so much.

I decided that I would be one of the biggest new names; and I actually had some little fancy business cards printed up to announce it, 'Count Basie. Beware, the Count is Here.'

Erroll Garner is one of the few musicians I believe has a sense of humor in his music.

My music is jazz.

Jazz is a very accurate, curiously accurate accompaniment to 20th century America.

I also like Western classical music and jazz.

Jazz told people about the special music that came out of America and about America in general and this kind of liberty and freedom that we have.

Jazz was my first love.

Darlin... be-bop is the music of the future.

I once saw Dizzy Gillespie at a live show, and it made me want to go home immediately and start writing.

I wanted to play some more grown-up music - jazz.

Jazz is the American’s preferred music, and it is created by Negroes to satisfy their love of noise and to whet their sexual desires ...

Jazz music is the American's music of choice. This is that music that the Negroes invented to satisfy their primitive inclinations, as well as their desire to be noisy.

Jazz is a part of me.

Count Basie practically adopted me at 13. We became closer and closer and I ended up conducting for him and Sinatra.

Jazz is really 20th-century fusion music. You take West African harmony and rhythm, mix with European harmony, and boom!

One of my big inspirations was Chuck Berry, and his playing was always about the rhythm and the lyrics. So I've always been that way in my playing, really.

Being on set is like being in college, for me, because I get to watch other people perform and I can learn from them if I listen and pay attention.

Jazz is people's music, a collectivity.

My primary influences were the best jazz players from the 50's and 60's and later some of the pop people from the same time period along with the better of the well known blues musicians.

Jazz is like wine. When it is new, it is only for the experts, but when it gets older, everybody wants it.

Lately I've been listening to some classical music again, some jazz.

Jazz music is to be played sweet, soft, plenty rhythm.

Duke Ellington always had a style: original, clean with interesting color combinations. He had an artist's eye.

So, I was just a young guy, maybe with an idea, and Cecil Taylor, himself a rebel, would take a chance on a guy like me. It turned out to be a very symbiotic partnership. I learned a lot from him.