Benny Goodman was one of the big influences as a clarinet player. That's why I wanted the clarinet.

Many people do think it's naive to improvise in front of paying customers. I'm not saying one way is better than another.

Most jazz players work out their solos, at least to the extent that they have a very specific vocabulary.

I just completed a tour in Europe. I played every night. This requires traveling some days for six hours in a van or a train or a car. After six weeks of that, I checked into the hotel and just fell apart.

Benny Goodman was one of the big influences as a clarinet player. That's why I wanted the clarinet.

After playing now for 60 years, it's still very challenging for me to play a simple melody and have it clean and touch the reed at the proper time in the proper way.

Out of Coltrane's whole history, there are things which I think are great from all the periods.