All my inspiration comes from Ahmad Jamal.

Bebop didn't have the humanity of Duke Ellington. It didn't even have that recognizable thing. Bird and Diz were great, fantastic, challenging — but they weren't sweet.

I ain't no entertainer, and ain't trying to be one. I am one thing, a musician.

In high school I was best in music class on the trumpet, but the prizes went to the boys with blue eyes. I made up my mind to outdo anybody white on my horn.

I think every Negro over fifty should get a medal for putting up with all that crap.

When the band plays fast, you play slow; when the band plays slow, you play fast.

I did Bronislaw Kaper's tune. He wrote "On Green Dolphin Street." I mean, I did all those ballads, all them ballads from South America. All those tunes - the guitar concerto on Sketches Of Spain. All those are Spanish melodies. Some of them we made up ourselves.