I cannot play a lie. I have to believe in what I play or it won't come out.

I compulsively reach for perfection in music, often at the expense of everything else in my life.

My life is music, and in some vague, mysterious and subconscious way, I have always been driven by a taut inner spring which has propelled me to almost compulsively reach for perfection in music, often - in fact, mostly - at the expense of everything else in my life.

People think that I play effortlessly. I remember doing a record date with Bill Evans and afterwards he said to me, you make it sound so easy but when I get right up next to you you're working hard and making it sound easy!

I came from an era when we didn't use electronic instruments. The bass wasn't even amplified. The sound was the sound you got.

You can read all the textbooks and listen to all the records, but you have to play with musicians that are better than you.

Records used to be documents, but now record companies want product.