I remember coming in to the studio and meeting Barry Manilow . I was kind of star-struck. He said, "I want to play you this song." We get to the end of the song and I hear him actually sing my name as part of the lyric. I had to pick my jaw up from the floor!

I credit my collaborators for allowing me to grow. Without them I wouldn't have that opportunity.

Some of my best friends have written Broadway shows. Allee Willis and Brenda Russell wrote The Color Purple which has been recently revived on Broadway. That to me is such a different hat that you have to wear, but music is music. A Broadway show is something I would love to have the opportunity to do.

I feel like collaboration in music has allowed me to grow musically beyond my wildest dreams.

I love a lot of the young, new artists who are coming up, including Adele. I suppose anybody would freak out to work with her. To be able to play a saxophone solo on one of her songs would be the most ultimate thing ever.

I'd probably end up doing the same thing over and over. We're creatures of habit. We know what we know. With collaboration...and I'm not just talking about music, I'm talking about in life - if you're a good listener and you have your ears open, and to be a good collaborator you have to be able to listen, you can learn something from somebody else.

I think that there have been times, especially with writing songs, where you sit in a room with somebody, and they could be a very well-respected songwriter, but for whatever reason, the chemistry is just not right.