Sense of community was really fostered by Larry Laurenzano, who was a great educator.

There is a very small chance that you might be really brilliant and really talented.

[Larry Laurenzano] gave me a junior high school saxophone to take to high school, because I was always taking one of our school horns home to practice and I couldn't afford to buy one. He gave my friend, Tyrone, a tuba and he gave me a junior high saxophone for each of us to use at Performing Arts High School with. My audition piece was selections from Rocky. We were not sophisticated. But we had some spirit about it. We enjoyed it, and it was a way out.

I just think that I associated music with something that was healing and transformative as a kid.

You fuel your life with trust and love instead of fear and doubt.

Many of the people I'm gratified to see have gotten acclaim like Mark Turner or Bill Charlap. Ed Simon or Maria Schneider or Jim McNeely or Scott Robinson. Ken Peplowski, who is a friend and somebody I admire a lot.

Enthusiasm comes from the Greek word entheos, which means, "inspired" or "filled with the divine."