Listening is more important than anything else because that's what music is. Somebody is playing something and you're receiving it. It is sending and receiving.

Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker seemed so sophisticated and bad. I wanted to be like that.

There are times when what's happening in rock is the best music in the world, and there are times when there is nothing worthwhile at all.

When you have 13 horns, and one is soloing, you have 12 people to play the richest, fullest chord you could ever imagine behind that solo.

I don't need much coaxing.

One performer whose band played my music better than I could myself was Art Farmer. He recorded 'Sing Me Softly of the Blues' and 'Ad Infinitum'.

What's interesting about a person without problems?