Americans don't like any form of art, man. All they like to do is make money. They don't like me, Sammy Davis, or anybody else. They don't like nothing. They just like Sammy because he can make 'em a lot of money.

If you're not nervous then you're not paying attention.

If you have a tone like mine that is recognizable. No matter what I play, when you hear my tone you can tell it's me.

If I have a dynamite bass player - I have Darryl Jones - it's so easy to write for him because he's such a funky kid and he's gifted. He's like a little genius.

Music is the framework around the silence.

I really liked Wynton when I first met him. He's still a nice young man, only confused.

I gave the album [You're Under Arrest] to Quincy Jones and he loved "D Train". We couldn't call it "D Train"; it's called "MDI/Something's On Your Mind/MD2". That's on the album.