If you got up on the bandstand at Minton's and couldn't play, you were not only going to be embarrassed by the people ignoring you or booing you, you might get your ass kicked.

Trane was the perfect saxophonist for Monk's music because of the space that Monk always used. Trane could fill up all that space with all them chords and sounds he was playing then.

If you're trying to be hip, be hip.

Food makes my mind sluggish.

We're not going to play the blues anymore. Let the white folks play the blues. They got 'em, so they can keep 'em.

Don't worry about playing a lot of notes. Just find one pretty one.

That was my gift . . . having the ability to put certain guys together that would create a chemistry and then letting them go; letting them play what they knew, and above it.