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.

I heard Sidney Bechet play a Duke Ellington piece and fell in love with the soprano saxophone.

Nobody was playing the soprano saxophone and certainly nobody was trying to do anything with it. So I was all alone. I didn't know that at first.

Circumstances can be very important. Find the right people to work with.

Saxophone is one thing, and music is another.

I wanted to be a pianist but it just wasn't my thing. I guess I wanted to stand up rather than sit down.

The potential for the saxophone is unlimited.