Considering the great heritage in music that we have - the work of the giants of the past, the present, and the promise of those who are to come - I feel that we have every reason to face the future optimistically.

All a musician can do is to get closer to the source.

Sometimes I think I was making music through the wrong end of a magnifying glass.

The first time I heard Bird play, it hit me right between the eyes.

The main thing a musician would like to do is to give a picture to the listener of the many wonderful things he knows of and senses in the universe.

Working with Monk brought me close to a musical architect of the highest order. I felt I learned from him in every way--through the senses, theoretically, technically. I would talk to Monk about musical problems, and he would sit at the piano and show me the answers just by playing them. I could watch him play and find out the things I wanted to know. Also, I could see a lot of things that I didn't know about at all.

When you begin to see the possibilities of music, you desire to do something really good for people.