Quotes About Improvisation

what there of is of jazz at its best is heavy stuff: it is small, but made of uranium

Jazz at Lincoln Center, says of his work with other jazz musicians: "There are always tensions that come up. Part of working is dealing with tensions. If there's no tension, then you're not serious about what you're doing.

Improvisation is almost like the retarded cousin in the comedy world. We've been trying forever to get improvisation on TV. It's just like stand-up. It's best when it's just left alone. It doesn't translate always on TV. It's best live.

Jazz is the music of the body

I was about 14 when I started with a theater group; it was like a stage group on the weekends alongside school. And it was run by a group of guys who'd been to drama school themselves in London. So they introduced us to techniques that they'd learn about, and they kind of informed us about improvisation and screenwriting and all of that stuff.

I've been on projects before where there's no rehearsal, and you walk in on set and that's literally the first time you've ever played the character, and then I've had times where there's been three weeks of rehearsal. I like both.

In theater, you get to rehearse several weeks, you memorize everything, and by the time you open, you know what the play is. In film, it's almost the opposite. You do your work on your own and maybe have a couple of minutes to rehearse. When the camera rolls, you generally don't know what's going to happen.

When you're working on a film, it's not theater; you don't have a few weeks of rehearsal. A lot of times you are showing up on set, and you've never been to the place; you've never met the other actors you're working with.

You say a line and you wait for them to laugh, then you say another line and you wait... It felt weird to me. But it's interesting and the energy is almost like theatre, I suppose, with all the people there.

It's a weird thing where, especially in jazz, you have to totally mention cutting sessions and people one-upping each other and people being super, super tough on each other. And out of it emerge these genius musicians.

I filmed an interstitial with Allisyn Ashley Arm and Matthew Scott Montgomery one day. And we made up this weird thing 'cause we had to lay in the grass for, like, ten hours, and it was really itchy. So we call ourselves The Grass Gang.

I mean one of the weird things about TV and one of the things that some actors don't like but I kind of dig is that you never know where you're headed, I mean you never know what the writer might think of next.

Comedy is far more difficult, as it involves improvisation and impromptu acting, and as an actor, that came as a welcome break for me.

I want you to hear a new version of Dueling Banjos. Anyone else is welcome.

Well, if you find a note tonight that sounds good, play the same damn note every night!

I was pleased when the picture was over I fit in all right and I spoke well enough as I said before, cause I was scared to death there for a minute. I mean, you're doing a scene with somebody like that or they're watching you or something, you'd better come up with something.

In the olden days, I believe Mozart also improvised on piano, but somehow in the last 200 years, the whole training of Western classical music - they don't read between the lines, they just read the lines.

I see my practice as picture making. Whatever is available, I use.

If I'm practicing making up what the characters will do, it's never good. In fact, when I catch myself doing that, I try to get rid of that section, and try and let them start making the decisions.

To me, the object of practicing is to allow you to play what you hear. But you're always hearing new things, so you never get to the end of it.

You know, there're no rules between Russell and I. We don't want to have to have to talk too much, because it's really precious, really special to play music.

Baking is too precise for me. I cook with a pinch of this or that.

I have trouble working off things that are too preconceived, like storyboards.

There's something about a sign-off that seems predictable. I just say whatever comes to my mind, to the pleasure and horror of the control room, I'm sure.