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.

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.

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

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.

As long as there are people trying to play music in a sincere way, there will be Jazz.

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.