I think I have a basic sound aesthetic that is in most of what I do

To me, there are lots of different stories to tell and you usually find the best way to tell the one you are telling once you are in it.

Most guys at Berklee are going to wind up truck drivers.

Jazz demands that you bring to it things that are valuable to you, that are personal to you.

I met Gary (Burton) at the Wichita Jazz Festival when I was 18 -- he was one of my favorite musicians and I got to play a few tunes with him there. Shortly after that, I joined his band, which was the equivalent of joining the Beatles for me! He was, and still is, one of the greatest musicians I have ever been lucky enough to be around.

Players get to that intermediate level where they can already play pretty good, and that's kind of a dangerous period because they tend to start playing only the things that they can play, rather than the things they can't.

Jazz music will continue to thrive, possibly in unexpected ways.