The extent of his influence across jazz, across American music, and around the world has such continuing stature that he is one of the few who can easily be mentioned with Stravinsky, Picasso and Joyce. His life was the embodiment of one who moves from rags to riches, from anonymity to internationally imitated innovator. Louis Daniel Armstrong supplied revolutionary language that took on such pervasiveness that it became commonplace, like the light bulb, the airplane, the telephone.

When you're artistic director of a program, you present the music you want to present.

The discussion of ideas as opposed to the American narcissistic obsession with what's going on with the self, that's the general thing people are talking about.

Louis Armstrong, who learned to be in exquisite dress, came from the bottom, and he's not a trash can.

Our society has gotten to the point where we might soon become less and less shocked by any kind of violence.

But there are a number of attitudes that should not be emotionally or psychologically ingested by young people.

The point is, you have an ethnic heritage and you have a human heritage. Your human heritage includes everything of human value.