It's a new dawn, it's a new day...and I'm feeling good.

I know I'm different, but I don't think about it.

I'm sorry that I did not become the world's first black classic pianist. I think I would have been happier.

It's a new dawn, it's a new day...and I'm feeling good.

I had heard blues and jazz all my life but I was never aware that it was associated with nightclubs and drinking.

My people have very subtle slang, inflections and ways of saying things that has little to do with words. If you're from the same place, you'll feel the jargon and know exactly what's happening. Same with any neighborhood cat. What he sees and hears and feels and lives makes him what he is. That's what blues is.

Music is a gift and a burden I've had since I can remember who I was.