Playing gives me as much good feeling now as it did when I was a bitty kid.

Man, as long as people want to hear Jazz, I'll give it to them.

All art is communication of the artists' ideas, sounds, thoughts; without that no one will support the artist.

Playing is my way of thinking, talking, communicating.

I'm motivated. The spirit hits me and I just keep going and don't stop. The more I play, the more I can invent, the more ideas come to me.

Every day I look forward to getting with my instruments, trying new things.

I worked hard learning harmony and theory when I was growing up in Chicago in the 1920s.