Now we also need people who just love to listen to the music. And we need people that want to work to facilitate it. That want to do work, have somebody like Bret Primack, the jazz video guy.

[Charles McPherson] was kind enough to go to a record gig of mine where we recorded a song of his.

I'm reaching a certain level [at school] that I had been aspiring to with all these incredibly advanced classical peers around me that I had been trying to be able to hang with them a little bit.

Joe Henderson, who I maybe, to me, if I had to pick one improviser in my life that I saw live that blew my mind most, especially as a teenager.

Connection to the music and the history was very powerful to me. I think that's what I feel the most blessed about.

Another classical music teacher from Performing Arts that I've stayed in contact with is Jonathan Strasser.

There were some things I was going and doing in Europe a little bit. Some festivals that brought me over. That was good. Some touring I did over there. But there was nothing major [from 22 to 29].