Sometimes you think "Okay, well I'm going to play my horn, and I'm going to study Charlie "Bird" Parker solos or [John Coltrain] or whatever." But as [Phil Wood] said to me, "Man, Bird listened to everything."

Hearing Sonny Rollins live... that was really amazing. There were so many things that really blew me away at that time [of schooling].

We still talk about [school band]. Almost 40 years later. It's like people are talking about, "Man we need to have a morning band reunion".

The only person who can limit your possibilities is you.

When I was 13, 14, 15, I had played in a couple of jazz ensembles. I didn't know anything about harmony, about II-V-I, though I had learned my scales with Caesar [DiMauro].

I think that's important to remember - That we're blessed to even be able to attempt to do this [music].

You can’t be a great leader if all you are serving is yourself.