Im always trying to find connections between things. That art is the juxtaposition of a lot of things that seem unrelated but add up to something recognizable.
And if I ever DO see [Kenny G] anywhere, at any function - he WILL get a piece of my mind, and maybe a guitar wrapped around his head.
I think jazz is actually quite unforgiving in its disdain for nostalgia. It demands creativity and change at its highest level.
There has to be a real strong reason to do something with someone for me.
Music is one big thing to me.
I don't worry too much about the fundamentalist principles that are in almost any discussion about Jazz.
Avant-garde, jazz, pop, classical, country and western, rock, free, straight-ahead, etc. are ultimately meaningless terms in the face of the music being discussed at best - at worst, those terms often serve as code words for what is in fact a cultural / political discussion more than a musical one.
I think that the melodic piece of the puzzle in music is the most esoteric and difficult to quantify.
To me, there are lots of different stories to tell and you usually find the best way to tell the one you are telling once you are in it.
I love playing and working on music. It is something that I feel really lucky to be able to spend my life doing. And I don't sleep much!
1962 to 1965, where suddenly the guitar became this icon of youth culture all over the world, thanks mostly to the Beatles. Add to that, that I saw A Hard Day's Night 12 or 13 times, and that the guitar was the one instrument that my parents absolutely refused to let in the house. So you add it up and see that irresistible forces led me to the guitar.
...to me if it's anything, jazz is a verb-it's more like a process than it is a thing.
It's a shame that jazz is now being turned into dried fruit. It's becoming quantized, diced and defined. It's becoming an idiom. To me if it's anything, jazz is a verb ? it's more like a process than it is a thing.
From 1962 to 1965, the guitar became this icon of youth culture, thanks mostly to the Beatles
Jazz is not something that can be defined through blunt instruments. It is much more poetic than that.
The first thing I learned was the theme from Peter Gunn.
Whatever my recorded output is, it's a reflection of a general love of music.
I just have never seen anyone build anything significant in any field without having a deep and detailed sense of what they are building on.
Jazz music will continue to thrive, possibly in unexpected ways.
I was able to work with the best musicians in Kansas City starting when I was really young
I think I represent a more left-wing view of what jazz is
I saw A Hard Day's Night 12 or 13 times.
I hate the way chorus boxes sound
As much as I have done collaborations over the years, I am actually kind of a reluctant partner.
I think I have a basic sound aesthetic that is in most of what I do
