You start way down on a low B flat on the tuba and you have a chromatic scale; you can match the colours all the way up, till you get to the top of the trumpet.

It's true I've always been attracted to the jazz band in an orchestral way, rather than a band way.

When [Billy] Strayhorn came on the scene, he just blew us away.

People talk about innovations and evolutions and that kind of thing; I don't understand about that nonsense. It's like, all instruments are there to use all the time

I like what I hear other guys doing, but the thing that really attracts me is melodic playing.

If you've only got one horn playing, I still want the sense of ensemble.

Actually, it is a fact that I've been doing more writing than playing in recent years.