Even in these times, there are still neighbors that will turn their backs on neighbors.

In Jazz, improvisation isn't a matter of just making any ol' thing up. Jazz, like any language, has its own grammer and vocabulary. There's no right or wrong, just some choices that are better than others.

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

Even in these times, there are still neighbors that will turn their backs on neighbors.

Our culture is what we did together. What did Walt Whitman represent for all of us? What was his message to us? That is an inheritance, and when we squander that inheritance we act outside. We don't know who we are; we don't know where we are.

Those who play for applause....Tha t’s all they get.

And that's the soulful thing about playing: you offer something to somebody. You don't know if they'll like it, but you offer it.