Charlie Byrd

“I never thought of myself as strictly a jazz musician... I'm a musician who plays jazz, and a lot of other things.”

“It’s a finger-style guitar, and I’m a finger-style guitarist. I’ve never used a pick in my life.”

“The nylon-string guitar has a warmth and intimacy that you can't get from a steel-string.”

“Bossa nova was a new music to us, a new feeling, a new everything.”

“You never stop learning. The day you think you know it all is the day you should hang it up.”

“I just try to play music that I love and is meaningful to me.”

“Music has to have emotion, otherwise it's just an exercise.”

“Improvisation is composing on the spot.”

“I wanted to bring the nylon string guitar into the jazz world.”

“You have to listen more than you play.”