[Jazz musicians] feel comfortable with their clichés, you know.

At least one day out of the year all musicans should just put their instruments down, and give thanks to Duke Ellington.

I began to realize that some of the things Ornette Coleman had said about things being played three or fours ways, independently of each other, were true because Bach had also composed that way.

I used to enjoy all the white bands when I was a kid listening to the radio. But the record companies, they take music and label it - like, they say "rock". Because the white singers can't sound like James Brown, they call him "soul". They've been doing that for years. That's the prejudice crap.

We don't play to be seen. I'm addicted to music, not audiences.

What's swinging in words? If a guy makes you pat your foot and if you feel it down your back, you don't have to ask anybody if that's good music or not. You can always feel it.

It's like, how did Columbus discover America when the Indians were already here? What kind of s-- is that, but white people's s--?