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.

Jazz is the big brother of Revolution. Revolution follows it around.

A painting is music you can see and music is a painting you can hear.

You have to know 400 notes that you can play, then pick the right four.

I don't care if a dude is purple with green breath as long as he can swing.

You know why I quit playing ballads? Cause I love playing ballads.

I keep telling Ron Lorman and them in the control room, "It's my band! The reason I have a band is because I can't stand for somebody to tell me what to do."