Its more about conception and touch and spirit and soul than whether my hardware was in place.

Jazz is not something that can be defined through blunt instruments. It is much more poetic than that.

I think I represent a more left-wing view of what jazz is

More and more as time has gone on, I realize that playing is really more about listening than it is about playing.

My older brother Mike is an excellent trumpet player. By the time he was 12, he was playing around Kansas City in classical situations. He was already an amazing talent.

Somehow trumpet is the reference point for me it was actually my first instrument.

It is Jazz's very nature to change, to develop & adapt to the circumstances of its environment.