I don't like to hear someone put down dixieland. Those people who say there's no music but bop are just stupid; it shows how much they don't know.

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.

I would never try and play like Harry James, because I don't like his tone - for me. It's just white. You know what I mean? He has what we black trumpet players call a white sound. But it's for white music ... I can tell a white trumpet player, just listening to a record. There'll be something he'll do that'll let me know that he's white.

All my inspiration comes from Ahmad Jamal.

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.

Somebody, my daughter or my wife, gave me a music box for Christmas. It plays "My Funny Valentine" on celeste, you know? So I had Bobby [Irving] just play "Jean Pierre" with the changes on celeste.

I'm not messing around with nobody's woman. If I want a woman I go get her - you know what I mean?