I don't view myself as a musician anymore - I view myself as a human being that functions as a musician when I'm functioning as a musician, but that's not 24 hours a day. That's really opened me up to even more perspectives because now I look at music, not from the standpoint of being a musician, but from the standpoint of being a human being.

So I didn't actually change my name the way some people did.

I got a chance to work with Miles Davis, and that changed everything for me, 'cause Miles really encouraged all his musicians to reach beyond what they know, go into unknown territory and explore. It's made a difference to me and the decisions that I've made over the years about how to approach a project in this music.

I've had a life that has taken many interesting paths. I've learned a lot from mentors who were instrumental in shaping me, and I want to share what I've learned.

Being a musician is what I do, but it's not what I am.

Jazz is a music that is open enough to borrow from any other form of music, and has the strength to influence any other form of music.

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