... The 'cleverness' syndrome has taken the place of melody. It's like everyone has come down with this terrible disease in jazz....you are always expected to do your own material, which is a strange thing to do if you're a poor composer but a great player.

Wynton Marsalis is jazzy the same way someone who drives a BMW is sporty.

I believe that a truly valuable artist must be an artist who realizes the impossibility of his task -and then continues to do it.

I cannot say what I think is right about Music. I only know the rightness of it.

Once we're inside a tune, we can do anything with it.

Jazz is one of the least learnable art forms.

I can't even tolerate my own playing on electric keyboards. It's not about the musical ideas - the sound itself is toxic. It's like eating plastic broccoli.