Jazz is people's music, a collectivity.
I started in New Orleans music and played all through the history of jazz.
Before the work comes to you, you have to invent work.
To me, there is spirit in a reed. It's a living thing, a weed, really, and it does contain spirit of a sort. It's really an ancient vibration.
It's very important to go through periods where you sound just rotten and you know it, and you have to persevere or give up.
When I came up, it was all about originality and collective research. There is an awful lot of imitation going on now.