Stefon Harris Quotes

• Every ‘mistake’ is an opportunity in jazz.

  Stefon Harris

  Mistake, Opportunity, Jazz

  45 Copy quote

• It's about being here in the moment, accepting one another and allowing creativity to flow.

  Stefon Harris

  Creativity, Flow, Moments

  "There are no mistakes on the bandstand". TED Talk, www.ted.com. November 2011.

  4 Copy quote

• Ultimately, what we do as musicians, I think of us as a type of emotional engineer. We essential take these sound waves, this sound, and we organize it into emotion, and that's how we connect with our audiences.

  Stefon Harris

  Emotional, Thinking, Musician

  7 Copy quote

• I don't really see huge barriers between any styles of music. My definition of music is "organizing sound and silence into emotion," and that's a very broad definition.

  Stefon Harris

  Silence, Style, Emotion

  Source: www.avclub.com

  4 Copy quote

• I love Amsterdam. The city is vibrant and alive. It's fresh and so open. It's definitely one of my favorite places.

  Stefon Harris

  Cities, Favorite Places, Alive

  177 Copy quote

• The bandstand is an incredible space. It is really a sacred space. One of the things that is really sacred about it is that you have no opportunity to think about the future, or the past.

  Stefon Harris

  God, Past, Opportunity

  4 Copy quote

• Being at home with my family always inspires me. I find it hard to be inspired when I'm on the move. I'm not creative when I'm jet-lagged and sleeping in strange hotels.

  Stefon Harris

  Moving, Home, Sleep

  4 Copy quote

• The way I look at music, what I'm interested in is not necessarily creativity - in many ways I think creativity is overrated, actually. What I think is important is authenticity. I want to hear music that has the resonance of the people. I want to hear music that is an amplification of them. Because then, I can experience the people. But because the music has become so institutionalized, everyone is learning and regurgitating the same material in the same way.

  Stefon Harris

  Creativity, Thinking, People

  Source: www.avclub.com

  4 Copy quote

• I don't really see huge barriers between any styles of music.

  Stefon Harris

  Style, Barriers, Huge

  "Stefon Harris thinks creativity is overrated". Interview with Matthew Borlik, Michael J. West, music.avclub.com. November 12, 2009.

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• I'm a spa person. Massages keep me relaxed, so I always try to make time for them when I tour.

  Stefon Harris

  Trying, Massage, Making Time

  4 Copy quote

• If you listen to the way I speak, I have a lot of rhythm, use a lot of accents. When I'm playing my instrument, that concept comes through very clearly.

  Stefon Harris

  Use, Way, Speak

  "Stefon Harris thinks creativity is overrated". Interview with Matthew Borlik, Michael J. West, www.avclub.com. November 12, 2009.

  4 Copy quote

• I think it all comes back to the individual. My instrument's just a pile of metal and wood! If you listen to the way I speak I have a lot of rhythm, use a lot of accents. When I'm playing my instrument that concept comes through very clearly. In fact some people who've seen me play have noticed that I'm singing - but it's more that I'm actually speaking. So it's not really about the instrument. But for me, in my thinking, the music is all about the melody. When I compose, 99 percent of the time I start with the melody.

  Stefon Harris

  Thinking, People, Singing

  Source: www.avclub.com

  4 Copy quote

• I listen to a lot of singers, because I find phrasing to be one of the most essential elements of playing.

  Stefon Harris

  Essentials, Elements, Singers

  4 Copy quote

• What happens when an art form becomes ambiguous, I think, is that the standards are lowered. You can say anything is jazz. So I think it's important to reflect on what made jazz so special.

  Stefon Harris

  Art, Thinking, Special

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• Italy has great food and Barcelona has great energy

  Stefon Harris

  Energy, Barcelona, Great Food

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• I think when you look back at the different eras in jazz, what leads from one to another is never a melodic revolution, but a rhythmic revolution.

  Stefon Harris

  Thinking, Different, Revolution

  Source: www.avclub.com

  4 Copy quote

• One of the things I'm adamant about as a bandleader is not micromanaging. I'm an advocate for the concept of allowing everyone to be fully vested in what they're doing, so everyone contributes whatever they're inspired to contribute.

  Stefon Harris

  Micromanaging, Inspired, Adamant

  "Stefon Harris thinks creativity is overrated". Interview with Matthew Borlik, Michael J. West, www.avclub.com. November 12, 2009.

  18 Copy quote

• Miles Davis is a major influence of mine in terms of the way that I am as a bandleader.

  Stefon Harris

  Way, Influence, Miles

  4 Copy quote

• I grew in the inner city, listening to Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, James Brown, The Commodores - lots of soul music.

  Stefon Harris

  Cities, Soul, Listening

  "Stefon Harris thinks creativity is overrated". Interview with Matthew Borlik and Michael J. West, www.avclub.com. November 12, 2009.

  4 Copy quote

• One of the things I'm adamant about as a bandleader is not micromanaging. I'm an advocate for the concept of allowing everyone to be fully vested in what they're doing, so everyone contributes whatever they're inspired to contribute. Our music is not about me; I contribute one part, one experience, and drummer Terreon Gully brings something completely different.

  Stefon Harris

  Different, Inspired, Drummer

  Source: www.avclub.com

  4 Copy quote

• I taught myself to read music at a very young age, so when I started to take lessons in school, the teachers used to give me other instruments to keep me busy, because I was more advanced than the other kids.

  Stefon Harris

  Teacher, School, Kids

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• If I play the melody, even if I play it in an abstract manner, it's instantly recognizable. Even when I was studying to be a classical percussionist, I think I was a more lyrical percussionist; melody is the heart and soul of the music.

  Stefon Harris

  Heart, Thinking, Soul

  Source: www.avclub.com

  4 Copy quote

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