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

A tenor player named Bud Revels there at the time. A lot of really nice associations amongst the students. Garry Dial was a returning student. He actually got me on Red Rodney's band subbing a little bit. I gigged some with Red when I was 21 in 1988. So I had a lot of nice associations that came from [ Laguardia School of Arts]. But a lot of my education was going on in the clubs. Hearing music and sitting in.

The goal is not to be better than anyone else but rather be better than you were yesterday.

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

I didn't always have time to practice as much as I wanted to do, that was a real problem for me in high school and college.

Your optimism today will determine your level of success tomorrow.

The best legacy you could leave is not some building that is names after you or a piece of jewelry but rather a world that has been impacted and touched by your presence, your joy, and your positive actions.