He's not a performer, he's not a composer, he's not even a musician, but Norman Granz is Mr. Jazz.

I don't believe that a lot of the things I hear on the air today are going to be played for as long a time as Coleman Hawkins records or Brahms concertos.

If you have something to say of any worth then people will listen to you.

The music field was the first to break down racial barriers, because in order to play together, you have to love the people you are playing with, and if you have any racial inhibitions, you wouldn't be able to do that.

I don't do something because I think it will sell 30 million albums. I couldn't care less. If it sells one, it sells one.

We're not like pop musicians who have to perform the same top ten tunes every night of a tour.

I despair about the lack of proper respect shown for the piano. If you want it to sound like a traffic jam, go out in the street and forget the piano. That's not a piano sound.