It keeps me in touch with younger musicians who are constantly saying, 'Have you heard this new artist, or this new guitar player?' It keeps you reaching.

I've made more than 50 records with a wide range of music. I've often veered to check something out.

I was a big fan of Jim Hall as well. I liked his comping style, his accompanying. And that he played, generally, four note chords, the top four strings of the guitar.

Improvising musicians are musical travelers, voyagers. There is a freedom to wander the musical landscape.

It keeps me in touch with younger musicians who are constantly saying, 'Have you heard this new artist, or this new guitar player?' It keeps you reaching.

I grew up in a farm town in Indiana. In the early years I played by myself, because there were no other musicians around.

I was surprised when I finally moved to Boston and the East Coast, to discover that there weren't that many vibraphone players around. And I was the only one playing with four mallets.