In World War II, jazz absolutely was the music of freedom, and then in the Cold War, behind the Iron Curtain, same thing. It was all underground, but they needed the food of freedom that jazz offered.

I'm aware that a lot of what is happening in jazz has not had a very dynamic change in a long time.

As a human being, I'm concerned about the world that I live in.So, I'm concerned about peace.I'm concerned about man's inhumanity to man. I'm concerned about the environment.

I don't look at music from the standpoint of being a musician; I look at it from the standpoint of being a human being.

It is people's hearts that move the age.

I've been practising Buddhism for forty years, and that's what has led me to this path of discovering my own humanity and recognizing the humanity in others.

I'm always looking to create new avenues or new visions of music.