Ray Brown Quotes

"The amazing thing about Sweets [Edison] was that he exactly spoke the way that he played! He was really unique, the one and only. He was one of the greatest Blues players that I ever heard and played with. Nobody can play like Sweets man, nobody! Most of us, musicians, frequently quote Sweets' phrases in our solos. Like Lester Young, Sweets had a big influence on us musicians, especially when we play some Blues." - Ray Brown

Sweets Edison Quotes

"That was in June 1938 [when he joined Count Basie's band and was given his nickname]. When Lester [Young] loved somebody's in the band, he gave you a nickname like Lady and your first name or your family name. But for me, he found something else: 'Sweetie Pie' and I still don’t know why he gave me this." - Sweets Edison

Charles Mingus Quotes

"I, myself, came to enjoy the players who didn't only just swing but who invented new rhythmic patterns, along with new melodic concepts. And those people are: Art Tatum, Bud Powell, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Lester Young, Dizzy Gillespie and Charles Parker, who is the greatest genius of all to me because he changed the whole era around." - Charles Mingus

Zoot Sims Quotes

"We were all influenced by Lester [Young]. Listen to the records that he made with [Count] Basie. Nobody's got what he's got. He's still the daddy." - Zoot Sims

Charles Mingus Quotes

On 'Goodbye Pork Pie Hat': "That was for Lester Young. I was playing the Half Note Club the night we heard he died and we went to the bandstand and played a Blues for Lester. I knew the guys would never do that again. I went home and wrote a blues the way I thought they were playing, with different types of chord changes - not just the regular blues - and it became part of the book." - Charles Mingus

Sonny Rollins Quotes

"I think as long as people are around and can hear a record and hear people like Lester Young on a recording, there will always be a great inspiration for somebody to try to create jazz." - Sonny Rollins