I can count on one hand the number of instrumental hits there have been over the last 10 years.

I made many studio albums and I think the danger of studio recording is that if you do not watch out, you come out with a perfectly sterile performance.

Music is meant to be a beautiful thing.

In 1994, I started touring again and I recorded two albums for Chesky Jazz.

My brother had a big band in high school; after that we continued to play together, eventually forming a group called the Jazz Brothers, that recorded for Riverside Records.

I write music people enjoy playing and listening to, and I have a group that loves playing the music.

As for the symphonic activities... when I was a student at the Eastman School of Music, I became exposed to a lot more musical forms, elements, opportunities, and I fell in love with strings and their uses.