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.

Forget about trying to compete with someone else. Create your own pathway. Create your own new vision.

People always want to protect what's really going on inside. They want to kind of make visible something that looks more pleasant than what may be happening inside of themselves.

People are afraid to spend money now because they dont know how long theyre going to be working.

Back in the day for me was a great time in my life - I was in my 20s. Most people refer to their experiences in their twenties as being a highlight in their life. It's a period of time where you often develop your own way, your own sound, your own identity, and that happened with me, when I was with a great teacher - Miles Davis.

I've been a religious, spiritual person for a long time.

At a certain point, I became a kind of musician that has tunnel vision about jazz. I only listened to jazz and classical music.