Every man prays in his own language.

If anybody was Mr. Jazz it was Louis Armstrong. He was the epitome of jazz and always will be. He is what I call an American standard, an American original.

Music, of course, is what I hear and something that I more or less live by. It's not an occupation or profession, it's a compulsion.

The wise musicians are those who play what they can master.

I like any and all of my associations with music: writing, playing, and listening. We write and play from our perspective, and the audience listens from its perspective. If and when we agree, I am lucky.

There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind.

New music? Hell, there's been no new music since Stravinsky.