My daddy expected that my brothers and I and our generation would make the world a better place. He had lived in an America of continual social progress.

I almost never watch TV, except for '60 Minutes' and pro football. I love Drew Brees, the Manning brothers and the Steelers' linebackers.

I got my first trumpet when I was six years old, from Al Hirt. My father was playing in Al Hirt's band at that time.

What is deeper than respect and love? That’s what we felt: veneration.

We created the spirituals. We created so much great music, jazz chief amongst our innovations, teaching us how to prize ourselves and how to speak to one another, that our kids don't know that achievement, there's no way in the world that could be good for us.

My older brother and myself always played together in bands, but we never knew we would be professional musicians.

You can reach a situation where things of intelligence and refinement and culture can be considered elite, and things that are crass and ignorant can be considered to be real and of the people. And when you begin to have the mass of populus striving for something that's not worth striving for, then tremendous amounts of energy go into...the maintenance of that which is worthless.