We're blues people. And blues never lets tragedy have the last word.

Ethics are more important than laws. Which means that the exact note is less important than the feeling of the note.

The fact that we are culturally ignorant and we don't know what our heritage is, the price that we pay is that we act outside of ourselves almost all the time. We make very bad decisions how we deal with other people and their culture.

I feel like a lot of the fundamental material, I've assimilated. So now the question is: Am I going to really get into my spiritual inheritance of music and really develop my abilities?

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

If you're not making mistakes, you're not trying.

Jazz comes from our way of life, and because it's our national art form, it helps us to understand who we are.