The Unity Band project has been life-changing for me. I have led many groups of talented musicians, but this is unlike anything else.

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.

One very fundamental thing has not changed and I realized that it will never change... is that I really need to go home and practice.

If you plan on continuing a tradition, it might be a good idea to find out just what tradition it is that you intend to continue.

People sometimes say it takes a long time to become a Jazz fan, but for me it took about five seconds.

It's a shame that jazz is now being turned into dried fruit. It's becoming quantized, diced and defined. It's becoming an idiom. To me if it's anything, jazz is a verb ? it's more like a process than it is a thing.

If jazz has to be termed as a wave, then music is a sea, but if the reflectors in the water is the chord.