48 Kamasi Washington Quotes for You to Enjoy

Kamasi Washington

American Musician

Born: Feb 18, 1981

Jazz Me Music People World You

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When I was working on 'To Pimp A Butterfly' and 'DAMN.,' I'm really making music for Kendrick. It's a different mindset than when I'm making music for me. I'm trying to get into his head and figure out what he wants because it's his vision. That's what I expect from people when they're playing on my records. Kamasi Washington

Music Me People Vision Damn Mindset Out Records He Head Because Making His Expect Than Get Trying Different Wants Really Working Figure Butterfly Playing

This precious thing of empathy and love and understanding is something we have to hold and appreciate and protect. Kamasi Washington

Love Understanding Something Empathy Protect Precious Precious Thing Hold Thing Appreciate

Music is an expression of life, who you are, and what you've been through. Kamasi Washington

Life Music You Through Been Who Expression

Hip-hop is a collage. It samples from all different styles of music. Kamasi Washington

Music Collage Styles Hip-Hop Different Samples Different Styles

My mum liked gospel and R&B, Chaka Khan, and Whitney Houston. Kamasi Washington

Khan Liked Gospel Houston Whitney Whitney Houston Mum

When you bring multiple cultures together, there's a degree of push and pull. Kamasi Washington

You Together Degree Push Cultures Multiple Bring Pull

Even the greatest musicians, they only represent themselves. You represent who you are and what your experiences are and what you have in your heart, and it's the same for me. I represent who I am and what I've been through and what I'm bringing to the music. Kamasi Washington

Music Me You Musicians Heart Only Through Greatest Am Been Same Represent Experiences Themselves Your Who Even Bringing

Music is an expression of who you are, and - at least in that sense - I think I epitomize Black Lives Matter. I'm a big black man, and I'm easily misunderstood. Before I started wearing these African clothes, people would assume that I was a threat and that it was O.K. to be violent toward me. Kamasi Washington

Music Me You Man People Matter Black Big Before Clothes Sense Think Assume Easily Would Threat Wearing Toward Misunderstood Least African Who Expression Lives Started Violent

I wanted to be a positive force in the world. Kamasi Washington

Positive World Force Wanted

Becoming a musician is a strange thing. It's not all cupcakes and ice cream. You're trying to master an instrument, and you sometimes can't tell if you're getting better. You love it, but you also hate it. Kamasi Washington

Every day we're here is an opportunity to do what we can to make the world right, to help someone close or far from us, to not get so hung up on what we can't do, and remember what we can. Kamasi Washington

Day Every Day World Remember Opportunity Every Hung Someone Make Up Close Get Far Us Help Right Here

I kept thinking about how ironic it is how people who live in places where there is diversity tend to love it - and the people that don't live in particularly diverse places tend to be the ones attacking it. In a way, that's similar to music, which is essentially the art of bringing things together. Kamasi Washington

Love Music Art Together People Diversity Live Thinking Way About Similar Diverse Tend Attacking Particularly How Ironic Essentially Where Which Places To Love Who Things Bringing Kept

Whenever my dad wasn't practicing, he was listening to music. He had an amazing jazz collection, and my mom had stuff like Chaka Khan to help balance it out. Kamasi Washington

Music Mom Balance Amazing Listening Jazz Khan Out Collection Had He Stuff Like Practicing Whenever Help Dad

Fela Kuti blew my mind. His playing is very unorthodox, but I learned how to appreciate that. Kamasi Washington

Mind Unorthodox Blew Learned How His Very Playing Appreciate

We've played so many places where, if you asked people, 'Do you like jazz?' they would be like, 'Not at all.' But I think that if you're really putting yourself out there and really communicating, music can put you beyond people's preconceptions, beyond their playlist. Kamasi Washington

The fact of the matter is that nobody understands what John Coltrane is doing except John Coltrane. And maybe not even him. So we're all experiencing it on this subconscious level. Kamasi Washington

Matter Subconscious John John Coltrane Fact Except Coltrane Nobody Him Understands Doing Maybe Experiencing Even Level

Jazz is like a telescope, and a lot of other music is like a microscope. Kamasi Washington

Music Jazz Other Telescope Like Lot Microscope

If you look up, and you see that all of a sudden the world is really coming down on people with brown hair, I would think the people with black hair would look at that and go, 'Well, that could be me, and so, I shouldn't stand for that any more than those people with brown hair stand for it.' Kamasi Washington

Me You People World Black Hair Down Think Those Would See Brown More Could Look Well Coming Go Up Than Any Really Stand Sudden

I think L.A. has one of the most innovative and forward-thinking jazz scenes in the world. New York definitely has the volume - there's more music happening in New York than anywhere else. But to me, L.A. - it's kind of a gift and a curse. Kamasi Washington

What fixes your spirit when Ferguson happens? When Trayvon Martin and those kind of things happen, they hurt your spirit; it hurts your heart and your soul. You need something to fix it. Kamasi Washington

You Soul Heart Hurt Hurts Those Kind Spirit Martin Something Ferguson Fix Happen Happens Your Things Things Happen Need

I think the open mind is the one that's reachable. Kamasi Washington

Mind Think Open Open Mind

It's either, like, 'Your album was the first jazz album I listened to,' or, like, 'My friend took me to this show, and I've never been to a jazz show before, but, man, I'm so happy I came. I can't wait to go home and see more.' And you can feel it in the crowd, too. You can see the groups of people that don't really know what to expect. Kamasi Washington

Home Me You Man Happy People Wait First Before Jazz Too Took See My Friend More Crowd Never Feel Like Know Came Go Go Home Been Friend Expect Listened Either Really Your Show Groups Album

Jazz is a part of me. Kamasi Washington

Me Jazz Part

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