You should never be comfortable, man. Being comfortable fouled up a lot of musicians.

We're not going to play the blues anymore. Let the white folks play the blues. They got 'em, so they can keep 'em.

I still got my Ferrari.

When you work with great musicians, they are always a part of you . . . their spirits are walking around in me, so they're still here and passing it on to others.

The music speaks for itself!

Everybody ought to listen to Benny [Carter]. He's a whole musical education.

The music has gotten thick. Guys give me tunes and they're full of chords. I can't play them...I think a movement in jazz is beginning away from the conventional string of chords, and a return to emphasis on melodic rather than harmonic variation. There will be fewer chords but infinite possibilities as to what to do with them.