Milton, of all people, gave the most perfect definition of the state of mind required to play jazz: ' with wanton heed and giddy cunning.' That's how you play jazz.

Not for me. If I want to tune everybody out, I just take off my glasses and enjoy the haze.

I think I had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to sound like a dry martini.

I'm glad [Ornette Coleman] is such an individualist. I like the firmness of thought and purpose that goes into what he's doing, even though I don't always like to listen to it. It's like living in a house where everything's painted red.

Complexity can be a trap. You can have a ball developing a phrase, inverting it, playing it in different keys and times and all. But it's really more introspective than communicative. Like a crossword puzzle compared to a poem.

I was unfashionable before anyone knew who I was.

It was never supposed to be a hit. It was supposed to be a Joe Morello drum solo.