Skip to content
Thomas Stevens.Music · Writings · Legacy

Thomas Stevens · The archive

Quotables

The "Quotables" column features comments made by distinguished professionals in the performing arts

Thomas Stevens "Quotables" column features comments made by distinguished professionals in the performing arts that should be of interest to musicians and music lovers alike.

There is an old adage in the business world that a relevant anecdote or metaphor can be worth a thousand data points. In the music world, these same two elements can be worth many hours of classes or individual lessons.

The General Comments section of the "Quotables" features comments made by, or stories about distinguished professionals and the manner with which they practiced their craft in the performing arts that should be of interest to musicians and music lovers alike, while the For Trumpeters Only section addresses issues that would be of interest to that particular segment of the music community.

Some of the editorial content of the "Quotables" pages was originally either published, prepared for publication in music education and/or trade journals, or included as subject matter in international master-classes and seminars by Thomas Stevens during the years 1978 through 2001. The original materials have been edited for inclusion on this site, and they are listed in the reverse chronological order of their posting.

More Quotables details on Facebook (Thomas Stevens Music)

James Stamp, Jean-Pierre Mathez and Editions Bim

Quotable: “I am absolutely amazed at what Jean-Pierre has done for me!”-James Stamp (1983) in a toast to Jean-Pierre Mathez, who was not in attendance, at a dinner with Irving Bush and this writer.

Quotable: “And Jean-Pierre Mathez made you a star!” Irving quipped in response to Stamp’s toast, paraphrasing (in a kind of sprechstimme) a musicians’ insider joke from the big band era (“Benny Goodman made me a star”), which was always sung over the second phrase of “I Can’t Get Started,” a popular song written by Vernon Duke and the first-ever best selling record made by a trumpeter, Bunny Berigan, who also did the vocal, in 1937 (Irving's longtime friend, trumpeter/vocalist Jack Sheldon, included the Benny Goodman line verbatim in his band's recording of the same song made over half a century later)
Read article : James Stamp, Jean-Pierre Mathez and Editions Bim