Jazz is all about improvisation and it's about the moment in time, doing it this way now, and you'll never do it this way twice. I've studied the masters. Why would I want to play ball after the guys who sit on a bench? I want to play like Michael Jordan.
When somebody shows up and they believe in you, it makes all the difference.
People don't like when you point out to them and remind them that they're not very smart.
I decided I am not going to say things I do not mean anymore.
I'm creating music - it doesn't matter if anyone else likes it.
Music used to be essential and meaningful, but now it's disposable.
There's only one thing that everyone in this world has in common: whether you want to love somebody and you want to be loved in return.
I've worked with jazz artists, country artists, classical artists, pop artists. I never wanted there to be categories, because when I was a kid there weren't.
When it's your chance to step up to the plate, just hit it out of the park, and everybody will forget about everything that came before.
It doesn't matter the genre or type of art, if it's authentic there's an apparent beauty to it and as an artist, that's very inspiring.
There's no substitute to being successful on an actual chart.
I just want people to take a step back, take a deep breath and actually look at something with a different perspective. But most people will never do that.
My fans are the best in the world! They've grown up with me and stayed with me through this entire journey.
I write about moments, and I don't make blanket statements about anything because no one has all the answers; nobody's come up with a foolproof way to do anything when it comes to emotions.
I do not wear my emotions on my sleeve; I write about them.
A fine timepiece is part of dressing like a gentleman. When I first made a little money, I bought my first watch which was a Rolex Daytona. It was just one of those things that said I was successful.
I just want to be as creative as I possibly can.
This year I've really decided to get into the best shape of my life, and I've gotten there by changing not only what I eat but when I eat and how often, as well as my usual workout routine. The combination has made such a big difference, and I finally feel in the best shape of my life.
I've been a jazz artist playing pop and R&B my entire career.
I grew up in a time where anything was possible.
Lionel Richie told me forget about the critics. But if you come back with hit after hit, you don't have to worry about anything.
I hope at some point in my career when my name is mentioned, someone will say "Oh yeah he has a good song!" I'd be happy with that.
I wanted to put jazz on the record, all the loves of music that I had on the record, so I could show people I was ahead of my 19 years. It may have been over the heads of some people.
Most of the stuff I learned to play, I learned in high school. I had a band in high school, a jazz-fusion thing, and I was the keyboard player. I was interested in how the instruments worked and the theory behind playing with them.
Everything I have now is so real, so vivid.
