See, if you put a musician in a place where he has to do something different from what he does all the time, then he can do that - but he's got to think differently in order to do it. He's got to play above what he knows - far above it. I've always told the musicians in my band to play what they know and then play above that. Because then anything can happen, and that's where great art and music happens.

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

Some day I'm gonna call me up on the phone, so when I answer, I can tell myself to shut up.

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.

Music is a funny thing when you really come to think about it.

I always listen to what I can leave out.

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