Labels don't mean anything to me. I'm trying to play as passionately as I'm able to. If they want to call that cool, that's fine. Just spell the name right, is the formula.

I always felt as a horn player, a jam session wasn't satisfying enough for me. I should have been a rhythm section player, actually.

Bernstein grew up in my building in New York. He's a very, very fine player. When he was a kid, he came by to find out what was going on in the world of jazz.

I listen to classical music very much. There's a lot of jazz that I don't enjoy listening to.

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

I understood that if I wanted to work, the saxophone was the main instrument. The clarinet was what we call a double.

A first love always occupies a special place.