I'm fortunate that I'm making a living at it now because I'm not equipped to do anything else.

Music represents nature. Nature represents life. Jazz represents nature. Jazz is life.

I'm now a legend, whether I want to be or not.

...this is my dilemma. I'm a guy who makes things up as I go along, so nothing is ever finished - there are so many layers. So when you solo, yeah, you might get into one thing, but then, hey, everything has implications! You can hear the next level. And that's how I feel about improvising - there's always another level.

I have always been a person who is concerned with the dignity of jazz music and the way jazz musicians have been treated and are treated, and the fact that the music has not been given the kind of due that it deserves.

Even the most jingoistic person would have to admit that even American cultural music comes from Europe. That's what classical music is, real European music.

There have been many great musicians that, Clifford Brown is one great example, I mean he died very early, 25.