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.

Learning to play is mostly about learning to hear, and learning to really listen deeply to sound in a musical way is a lifetime's worth of work.

I just have never seen anyone build anything significant in any field without having a deep and detailed sense of what they are building on.

My first relationship to any kind of musical situation is as a listener.

The best musicians are not the best players, they're the best listeners.

I was able to work with the best musicians in Kansas City starting when I was really young

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.