Today I had set aside for spading. Now there is nothing pleasanter than spading when the ground is soft and damp. You turn a spade full and then carefully knock all the lumps to pieces and you go on for hours without thinking about anything. – John Steinbeck, letter to Kate Beswick
Jazz took too much discipline. You have to come in at the right place, which is different than me singing the blues, where I can sing, Oh, baby, if theres a pause in the melody. With jazz, you better leave that space open, or put in something real cool. – Etta James