Bob James Quotes

I didn’t speak any Chinese when I started out and, by the way, I have yet to actually perform live in China. I’m hoping to correct that situation very soon. But the reason why I chose the Chinese instruments and that sound came about for a combination of reasons. There was an introduction that I got to visit Shanghai and listen to the very talented musicians and I became very fascinated, but also China represents probably the oldest tradition and it was almost a kind of a neutral way for me to start learning about the sounds and trying to figure out whether I could make some kind of a marriage between East and West.
Bob James

I must say that this field has given me this opportunity. I think the stamp of jazz being American music makes it a very special thing in foreign countries and it gives us the opportunity of getting invited there, and to me, at least, I felt a responsibility to try to give something back and to try to learn from their culture and to try to do what actually has always been an important thing to me, is to have a kind of eclectic feeling in my music and to reinterpret either melodies or sounds from other genres and blend them into jazz. 
Bob James