Roots in the Present
I respect the jazz past, but I don't live there. I'm looking for how jazz can speak to our lives today.
Kamasi Washington
Contemporary jazz saxophonist pioneering neo-jazz and the sound of modern classical jazz revival.
All moments: Kamasi Washington
- Truth of Creation — Kamasi Washington
When I create, I don't think. I listen and allow music to flow through me. My mind must be silent.
- Unity Through Art — Kamasi Washington
True art is born from true connection. Without love and understanding, music is just sound.
- Collaboration Across Boundaries — Kamasi Washington
When you work with artists from other genres, you learn. The boundary between jazz, rap, and classical is an illusion.
- Spiritual Path of Saxophone — Kamasi Washington
The saxophone is my prayer book. When I play, I'm speaking to God and to my soul.
- Cultural Bridge — Kamasi Washington
Music unites people whom everything else divides. It's the universal language of humanity.
- Jazz as Conversation — Kamasi Washington
Jazz is not technique, it's conversation. Each musician says something of their own, and together they create a story.
Related moments
- Birth of a Legend — Paul McCartney
The Beatles were about growth. We changed every single day.
- All Music Is Folk Music — Louis Armstrong
All music is folk music. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song.
- The Power of Compassion — Michael Jackson
The most important thing is love and compassion. They override everything.
- Alien Artist — David Bowie
I never tried to fit in. I prefer to be myself, even if it's alien.
- Music Is Life — Jon Batiste
Music is a spiritual practice, a therapy, a way to connect us to ourselves and each other
- Compromise and Conscience — Bob Dylan
I'll never sell my soul for money or fame. It's my only true asset.