Many critics always saw and heard that my style comes from Roy Eldridge, which is true. But for many things, not only how to play the trumpet but the way to choose the notes, how to play them and how to phrase all of them, I took that from Sweets [Edison]. He really brought something new to the trumpet.

I try to play the bare essence, to let everything be just what it's supposed to be in that particular spot...You have many things to pick from when you're playing, so you try to train yourself to pick out the best things that you know.

I think the idea is now for blacks to write about the history of our music. It's time for that, because whites have been doing it all the time. It's time for us to do it ourselves and tell it like it is.

We loved one another, man. I mean all those stories about the rift ... there was no question of a rift between Charlie Parker and me.

Learn to play the piano, man, and then you can figure out crazy solos of your own.

I used to do a lot of apologizing for what the State Department had done.

I don't care much about music. What I like is sounds.