My job is not done. I address my songs now to the third world. I am popular all over Asia and Africa and the Middle East, not to speak of South Africa, where I'm trying to go to see Nelson Mandela.

I'm a nut for Bach as a composer.

Anything human can be felt through music, which means that there is no limit to the creating that can be done with music. You can take the same phrase from any song and cut it up so many different ways - it's infinite. It's like God... you know?

Slavery has never been abolished from America's way of thinking.

If I get an idea I put it on tape and somebody else writes it out.

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

To most white people, jazz means black and jazz means dirt, and that's not what I play. I play black classical music.