Jerome Richardson Quotations

I was the youngest guy in the union. At 14! A pianist around there who became my mentor for a little while, gave me my first night club job. I was 17 or so. My father asked the club owner to watch me so I didn't get into any wrong things, ladies and drink and this and that.

A lot of the guys in that band were older, and they taught me what I should and shouldn't do as a musician. Taught me to be proud of being a musician.They didn't stop me from seeing the bad things, but they taught me to come to work with a tie on, shoes shined and to know the chords and such of the songs.

You got to play the flute as a flute, like that. You can't play like a tenor concept on soprano; it sounds wrong. But some guys do it, and they think it's O.K., but not so!

I don't know what I was trying to get out of a tenor - but it never really satisfied me until one day I picked up my alto and I said, 'Where have you been?' and I said right here for now on!

What I'd like to get across is try your best to be yourself. I realize there are those who are much further along than you are; there are stars, but learn to be who you are and to play yourself. Be confident in that fact.

Hey, look at this guy Kenny G. with his thing, walking up and down the aisles of the concert hall and running off the stage and playing the same time. It's old hat!

Each instrument has something to say to you. It's got its own character. Each horn has its own character and will say to you certain things. If you violate that, it's almost a sacrilege!

When I came up, sax players had styles of their own. That good firm full-bodied sounds. Today that don't exist.