Vijay Iyer Quote: "I've realized that a lot of people come to me ..."

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I've realized that a lot of people come to me because of what's called identity. In the sense of "he's like me" - more like identification. Identity is one of those nonsense words: it's been used so much it doesn't mean anything. As individuals, we don't want to stay the same; identity means sameness, and we don't want to be the same, we want to keep changing, we want to grow, we want to become something else. We want to evolve. So when people come to me, it's about resonance - it goes back to that word.

Vijay Iyer / Jazz Pianist
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I've realized that a lot of people come to me because of what's called identity. In the sense of "he's like me" - more like identification. Identity is one of those nonsense words: it's been used so much it doesn't mean anything. As individuals, we don't want to stay the same; identity means sameness, and we don't want to be the same, we want to keep changing, we want to grow, we want to become something else. We want to evolve. So when people come to me, it's about resonance - it goes back to that word.

⇛ Vijay Iyer (Jazz Pianist)

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It is one thing to be a virtuoso, but a different thing to play with compassion.

Vijay Iyer Jazz Pianist

My music is always called "cerebral." It is a way of saying I'm Asian, and therefore everything I do is brainy.

Vijay Iyer Jazz Pianist

This is the last sentence of my dissertation: "What is soul in music if not powerfully embodied human presence?"

Vijay Iyer Jazz Pianist

I want to make sure that I represent a variety of backgrounds and that represents the reality out here in the world.

Vijay Iyer Jazz Pianist

People who hold important positions in society are commonly labelled "somebodies," and their inverse "nobodies"-both of which are, of course, nonsensical descriptors, for we are all, by necessity, individuals with distinct identities and comparable claims on existence. Such words are nevertheless an apt vehicle for conveying the disparate treatment accorded to different groups. Those without status are all but invisible: they are treated brusquely by others, their complexities trampled upon and their singularities ignored.

Alain De Botton Writer

I felt that I really couldn't be creative with opera. You're supposed to sound this way here. You're supposed to crescendo here. You're supposed to do that. I had no sense of identity while singing that kind of music.