The word [jazz] never lost its association with those New Orleans bordellos. In the 1920s I used to try to convince Fletcher Henderson that we ought to call what we were doing 'Negro music'. But it's too late for that now.

Problems are chances for us to do our best.

Music is the tonal reflection of beauty.

What does music mean to you? What would you do without music?

Music is my mistress and she plays second fiddle to no one.

Dancing is very important to people who play music with a beat. I think that people who don't dance, or who never did dance, don't really understand the beat... I know musicians who don't and never did dance, and they have difficulty communicating.

Gray skies are just clouds passing over.