Larry [ Laurenzano] said to me one day near the end of junior high, "Jon, are you Jewish?" I said, "No." And he said, "Well neither am I. I'm not sure of Caesar DiMauro, but he teaches at the JCC and I got you a scholarship there."

It's a complicated story [hoe I got into music ]. I actually wrote a book about it, titled For Sue.

Enthusiasm attracts more passengers and energizes them during the ride.

Life and success are about what you choose to believe.

I had pestered [Phil Wood] for a long time. He finally agreed to do it. And I was excited and nervous and he couldn't have been nicer or more supportive from the minute I got to his house.

I think [Phil Wood] didn't suffer fools gladly, but he loved supporting young people that loved the music.

I made some nice associations. Ben Perowsky and Kevin Hays... Bill Mobley and Pete McGuinness. A lot of talented people.