I have made all my films for my children with the exception of my first film because my oldest daughter wasn't born when I was making the film about the Brooklyn Bridge.

By its very nature, no one person can ever be the center of Jazz.

I record all of my music with authentic instruments in a studio before we start editing, doing many, many versions. The music shapes the film as we edit so it has an organic relationship to the content.

In a sense I've made the same film over and over again. In all of them I've asked, 'Who are we as Americans?

The genius of our country is improvisation, and jazz reflects that. It's our great contribution to the arts.

The flame is not out, but it is flickering.

History isn't really about the past - settling old scores. It's about defining the present and who we are.