Play what you know and then play above that

In other words, an instrument should be an extension of you; it's supposed to sound like you - the way you walk, the way you dress, you know.

Sometimes, if you ask people to "go downstairs and get me this or that," they'll say, "It's rainin" or "It might rain," or "There's some bumpy roads on the road," or bla-bla-bla. They give you all those excuses, so when they do something which is easy, you're supposed to say, "Damn, you did that?"

I really liked Wynton when I first met him. He's still a nice young man, only confused.

Jazz is an Uncle Tom word. They should stop using that word for selling. I told George Wein the other day that he should stop using it.

With "We Are The World," I can't even eat when I watch that on television. If I'm eatin' some food, I have to put it down. I feel very strongly about that.

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.