A guy like Scott [Robinson] plays the whole history of music on every instrument you've ever heard of. He's just kind of an unparalleled genius.

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

If you think your best days are behind you, they are. If you think your best days are ahead of you, they are.

[Manhattan School Of Music] didn't' have a jazz undergraduate program at the time so I played a semester in the big band. There was a graduate program. But I wasn't really that involved in jazz yet.

I was [ on Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition] with Ralph Bowen, and Joel Frahm, Jimmy Greene, John Ellis. You can't play the saxophone better than any of those guys play. So many of those things that those guys could do I wish I could do now, let alone then.

I love to see people recognized [me on scene].

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