Jazz music creates so many phenomenal figures.

Music is the art of all the invisible things that are real. Art, emotion, spiritual essence, consciousness - these things are hard to prove. Music helps you to focus on your sound. We understand that for very young kids.

The first time I ever played the trumpet in public, I played the Marine Hymn. I sounded terrible.

The reason why the music [jazz] is important is because it's an art form-an ancient art form-that takes in the mythology of our people.

I travel up and down the country and I've been all around the middle of America for many years. Middle America is not one big mass of people with a proverbial beer in its hand, keeping the country down. That is not my experience of it and I don't labor under that misconception. And we have a long tradition of coming together through music in our country.

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

Commercialism that has absolutely no relationship to quality whatsoever, only quantitative assessment of a thing.