I never heard my music played the way I heard it in my head.

I'm too busy playing. When I'm playing I don't pay attention to who's listening. When I was listening I listened to symphony orchestras, Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Stravinsky. You don't listen to one instrument; you listen to music.

If you think this is weird, just look at yourselves.

Anybody can make the simple complecated. Creativity is making the complecated simple.

Making the simple complicated is commonplace.

Our nights didn't begin until after noon. Because in the old days, you'd start Birdland at 8:30 or 9 pm and play until 4 in the morning. Then you'd go out to the corner and talk to a couple of musicians - I used to talk to Oscar Pettiford a whole lot - you'd stand there till 7, 8 or 9, or else go down to the jam session at Minton's.

If someone has been escaping reality, I don't expect him to dig my music.