Lester Bowie Quotes

Many jazz artists go to L.A. seeking a more comfortable life and then they really stop playing.

So I went into jazz and performed in jazz clubs all over the country.

When my father saw that I was interested in following such a career he had many reservations. His feeling was that there was no chance to earn a livelihood unless I played jazz or something similar.

I had this fantasy vision of what a career as a musician was like. And then I grew up and actually got in the business and realized, it doesn't often work that way.

Making your band your career just seems like a pipe dream when it's not happening, and when it does, it seems so surreal.

The jazz records come out a lot. You find that with many musicians - we don't listen to our own music for relaxation.

I would say to anyone starting out that if their priority in life is happiness, then don't be a musician.

It doesn't matter how big the shows are, as long as I'm making a living playing music. That's all that matters to me.

Originally my entire goal with music was for it to be my job. When I sit down to make a beat, I wanna know that I'm gonna get paid from it, and that I can pay my bills and still have money left over to be a person.

It's been a blessing that I can provide for my family just by doing music. I never thought this would ever be my occupation.

From a small child to right now - I mean, when I was five years old, Red Norville, Tal Farlow, Charles Mingus, Les Paul, Mary Ford, people like that were coming over to my house. So I was around professional adult mature musicians who had had big careers.

I really didn't think I was going to make records to where I make a living out of it.

It's a beautiful thing to have time in the world, as a singer and as a musician, to make friends with people of the musical caliber of a Tommy Smith, an Arturo Sandoval, a Richard Galliano, a Till Broenner.

My parents always wanted me to do music because they thought it was such a great extracurricular activity but we never thought it was going to be something that would be my career.

I make my living writing songs and, you know, I'm not a show biz kind of guy.

I didn't expect to have music as my main thing. I always thought I was going to be a lawyer. When I graduated, I was doing really well with my music in Malaysia. I had stable income, and I had really good momentum in the music industry, so I had to make a decision whether to stop that and continue being a lawyer.

I have so much gratitude that I get to do this for a living and that I actually have fans who come to the shows and buy the records and support me online.

Playing live and making a living from music was always the only goal.

I'm lucky that I enjoy playing live; it's my passion to do that. There's certain artists that never want to play live. They just want to be in the studio. Good luck, because there is no income.

The jingles saved my life. When I got hired to do that, I was on top. I finally was making a living doing what I loved. Before that, it was so bleak; it got so dark in L.A. I was 25, been living there for seven years trying to make it, and getting really close to getting signed with different bands and as a solo artist only to have my hopes dashed.

Basically, I'm just a guitar player that figured out I wasn't ever gonna be able to buy dinner with my guitar playing. So I got into songwriting, which is a little more profitable business.

Whether you're a DJ, whether you a rapper, whether you a producer, take it seriously. This is an occupation - you can get paid - don't expect to blow up overnight, and appreciate when you do get paid any type of money, appreciate it.

I never really had any grand aspirations of mainstream country success because I know what that entails, and I'd probably be too much trouble for people to work with. If I can just reach the point where I can get 200 or 300 people in small clubs and I'm carving out enough money to pay my bills, then I'm the happiest guy I know.

I know I can't rap forever, but I know as long as I got a label or something I can get money forever.

Back when I first started with Scandal, I felt like I had to carry a lot of the weight because it was up to me to sell those songs.