The record companies are interested in the kind of sales they can get from the rock groups.

I don't think I will ever do any tours again in the United States. I rather think that that's over with.

At Verve, my bookkeeper would invariably say, 'Well, why do you want to put out Roy Eldridge?' Or 'Why do you want to put out Ben Webster? They don't sell.' And I'd say, 'Well, whether they sell or not, they're important, they should be recorded and they're what Verve stands for, so we don't have to discuss that any further.

The economic picture in the States today doesn't allow for jazz concerts in a tour fashion. People now are too used to the Festival, which gives them more names for the same price.

My function at Verve was that of a genuine producer in artists and repertoire.

I find myself more at peace when I live in Europe.

I allowed artists to play for as long as they felt they could justifiably continue to create.