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.

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.

You know, being America, being the land of "number ones", everyone wants to be a leader before they follow.

A lot of musicians have a tough time hearing what we're doing in a trio format.

Coltrane came to New Orleans one day and he was talking about the jazz scene. And Coltrane mentions that the problem with jazz was that there were too few groups.

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

Pop doesn't really look back. It can't. What makes pop work is simplicity.