Jazz is an Uncle Tom word. They should stop using that word for selling. I told George Wein the other day that he should stop using it.

I've used [drum machine] because I have to have the perfect tempo.

Jazz is like blues with a shot of heroin!

Play what you know and then play above that

In high school I was best in music class on the trumpet, but the prizes went to the boys with blue eyes. I made up my mind to outdo anybody white on my horn.

You can tell whether a person plays well or not by the way he carries the instrument, whether it means something to him or not.

There are no wrong notes in jazz: only notes in the wrong places.