I'm not going to play funk licks on a jazz album. That makes no sense.

We have something that is unique. We have our craft. We have our art. We have our desire.

My job is to write songs that have emotional meaning to me.

Everybody talks about finding your voice. Do your homework and your voice will find you.

If it's not going to sound like Terrapin Station, what's the point of playing Terrapin Station?

I don't care who likes it or buys it. Because if you use that criterion, Mozart would have never written Don Giovanni, Charlie Parker never would have played anything but swing music. There comes a point at which you have to stand up and say, this is what I have to do.

Walter Beasley is an anomaly: a successful performing musician who possesses the rare skill of understanding the musical process beyond the intuitive. This special ability enables Walter to communicate with aspiring musicians in a way that removes the sense of mystery that sometimes enshrouds our profession.