It's a pity if someone who has a really profoundly potent art to share chooses not to or doesn't fit into this very thin slice of what's desirable and marketable, chances are the public will never get a chance to hear what they're doing.

Up-and-coming musicians can easily reach out and find a loving teacher, and that's definitely what happened to me.

I just think music is so intrinsically linked with images in the culture that we live in that youll be hard-pressed to have an experience with the music without a preconceived notion.

People are more used to seeing men who are masters at an instrument than women. When people say, 'Oh, she plays like a dude,' it's usually dudes who are the ones saying it. They're saying, 'Oh, she's as good as us.' Of course, that's a stupid statement. It's totally stereotypical to say, 'We have an advantage on this, and if anyone else can do it well, it's only because they're like us.' I think more men are starting to learn that this attitude is totally hollow and based in imagination. As more women are involved in music, this kind of thing gets said less and less.

When I read, you know, a rough neighborhood of Portland, I'm like - what? - they didn't have kombucha bars there?

There is an assumption that if you're young and pretty, you will get all these opportunities that are way beyond your musical foundation.

I fear that I won't get better and that I won't have time to practice. To be called a "jazz musician" - it's a big responsibility.