I still continue to do at least four concert tours a year, and in many cases, as many as six.

If you don't get substantially what you want, be ready to walk. And don't look back.

You will always find a few people in any area that would like things done completely their way.

My juices needed restoring. I needed a sabbatical from the record business.

Sponsors and networks will really go all out and simply evaluate people on the basis of talent.

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.