Your own music comes out of your head and emotions, but it's not etched in your system.

... 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.

Musicians are always gigging and never have a chance to stop for a minute.

If sound is music and came from silence, then silence is potentially greater than sound. If the sound is effective, it should actually have a chemical - some sort of physiological - effect on the listener, so he doesn't have to hear that sound again.

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

When you're up against an electric band like that, it's like you're on two separate planets.

I actually get a metallic taste in my mouth when I think about electric music.