You have to learn to get up from the table when love is not being served.

From the beginning, it has been a no-no for a black man to touch a white woman.

I applied for a scholarship to Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. I knew I was good enough, but they turned me down. And it took me about six months to realize it was because I was black. I never really got over that jolt of racism at the time.

Many times I feel different like a different person.

I tell you what freedom is to me: no fear.

Jazz is not just music, it's a way of life, it's a way of being, a way of thinking.

I do not believe in mixing of the races. You can quote me. I don't believe in it, and I never have. I've never changed. I've never changed my hair. I've never changed my color, I have always been proud of myself, and my fans are proud of me for remaining the way I've always been. I married a white man one time, but he was a creep