He sounded to me like he's supposed to be the savior of jazz. Sometimes people speak as though someone asked them a question. Well, no one asked him a question.

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

I can't write anything for myself. I can write when I hear like [John] Coltrane play something; I used to write chords and stuff for him to play in one bar. I can write for other people, but I don't never write for myself.

That's the way you judge a car, man, [good or bad], when you start it up. It's just the same thing. I mean, I drive a Ferrari - not to be cute, but because I dig it. I'd rather drive a ten-year-old Ferrari than one of them new things-they don't go.

Jazz is like blues with a shot of heroin!

For me, music and life are all about style.

I said to [Lionel] Richie, "Man, my wife says you must really respect women because you write such beautiful love songs."