My schedule is always tight. But I like to have the pressure of having to finish doing something; it gives me an added edge.

What I really have in my head, my imagination, my understanding of music, I never really get that out.

Art is a luxury. It's not necessary for you to - you can work your job and you can make some money and never know who Walt Whitman was, and never read a poem.

When I say "our," I definitely mean all of America. It's not less pertinent for you because it comes from a Black person, just like a great achievement by an Anglo American is less important.

We no longer want to be a melting pot, because we don't understand what is already melted.

Everything comes out in blues music: joy , pain , struggle . Blues is affirmation with absolute elegance.

Jazz is not just 'Well, man, this is what I feel like playing.' It's a very structured thing that comes down from a tradition and requires a lot of thought and study.