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This man is what jazz is all about. He's REAL.

Charles Mingus

His head should've just blown off his body with all the stuff he held up there.

Dorthaan Kirk

He was so heavy, he'd split his brain in two. He could play one melody with his right hand and another with his left.

Dick Griffin

He could hear around corners.

John Stubblefield

rahsaan

I didn't ask my mother to buy me a trumpet or a violin. I started right on the water hose. My uncle used to come over to the house and play on the piano, and I'd get a water hose and play the melody with him.

from the sleeve of Dog Years in the Fourth Ring

Now there's the black cross, the green cross, the white cross, the double cross, the criss-cross, and the lost cross. And the cross gets awful heavy at different times, but one is supposed to keep on going on and carrying the cross on his shoulder, because you ain't supposed to let no cross cross you up. You're supposed to let a cross help you get across. And if you let a cross help you get across, you won't get crossed up but you'll be on the cross 'cause you done got across on the cross. So if you can remember this, you won't get lost on the cross while you're trying to get across. So we're just here to let you know about it. I know that you knew already, 'cause y'all the hippest people in the world, hip black and white. But you still know that you got a cross you must deal with. So when it crosses you up, go on and deal with it, and leave it alone.

Old Rugged Cross (Blacknuss)

... we admit we started off too slow because I was looking at my piano player and I did smoke a little bit too much ... I was totally blind when I came on here ...

Roland's Opening Remarks (Volunteered Slavery)

Clickety clack ... clickety clack
Bring that man's baby back.
Clickety clack ... clickety clack
I want my spirit back.
Clickety clack
Bubble music being seen and heard on Saturday night
Blinding the eyes of ones that's supposed to see.
Bubble music, being played and showed, throughout America.
Clickety clack ... clickety clack
Somebody's mind has got off the goddamn track.
Clickety clack ... clickety clack
Won't somebody bring the Spirit back?
You didn't know about John Coltrane.
And the beautiful ballad he wrote wait a minute,
And the beautiful ballad he wrote called "After the Rain".
You didn't know about Lady Day and all the dues that she had to pay.
The Beatles come into the country, they take all the bread,
while the police hittin' black and white folks upside their head.
Tom Jones and Humpading got everybody uptight.
They make people that can sing wanna get out and fight.
Clickety clack ... clickety clack
What is this madness that Nixon has put upon us?
Clickety clack ... clickety clack
Won't somebody bring the Spirit back?
Who will it be?
Who will it be?
It certainly won't be someone that says that they're free.
Clickety clack ... clickety clack
Won't somebody bring the Spirit back?
Clickety clack ... clickety clack ...

Clickety Clack (Bright Moments)

You know it's good to be in a place that feels like you're in your house, you know.
Now, it's a beautiful thing, we're glad you people are assembled here with us on this Saturday night ... You know what I mean? You don't feel like Saturday night people. Some Saturday night people, that's the only night they get out and they act like it.
[...]
Now we would like to think of some very beautiful Bright Moments. You know what I mean?
Bright Moments.
Bright Moments is like eating your last pork chop in London, England, because you ain't gonna get no more . . . cooked from home.
Bright Moments is like being with your favorite love and you're sharing the same ice cream dish. And you get mad when she gets the last drop.
And you have to take her in your arms and get it the other way.
Bright Moments.
That's too heavy for most of you all because you all don't know nothing about that kind of love. The love you all have been taught about is the love in those magazines. And I am fortunate that I didn't have to look at magazines.
Bright Moments.
Bright Moments is like seeing something that you ain't ever seen in your life and you don't have to see it but you know how it looks.
Bright Moments is like hearing some music that ain't nobody else heard, and if they heard it they wouldn't even recognize that they heard it because they been hearing it all their life but they nutted on it so, when you hear it and you start popping your feet and jumping up and down they get mad because you're enjoying yourself but those are bright moments that they can't share with you because they don't even know how to go about listening to what you're listening to and when you try to tell them about it they don't know a damn thing about what your're talking about!
Is there any other Bright Moments before we proceed on?
Bright Moments.
Bright Moments.
[...]
Bright Moments is like having brothers and sisters and sisterettes and brotherettes like you all here listening to us.

Talk (Bright Moments) (Bright Moments)

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