I'm not supposed to be playing, the music is supposed to be playing me. I'm just supposed to be standing there with the horn, moving my fingers. The music is supposed to be coming through me; that's when it's really happening.
No one is original. Everyone is derivative.
Jazz never ends... it just continues.
Improvisation is the ability to create something very spiritual, something of one's own.
I feel that I have an obligation to jazz and also to myself to play as good as I can play.
I'm fortunate that I'm making a living at it now because I'm not equipped to do anything else.
Many jazz artists go to L.A. seeking a more comfortable life and then they really stop playing.
I enjoy playing clubs. I still enjoy the closeness of the nightclub venue. However, after a certain period of time and after playing around some of the clubs in New YorkI felt that jazz should be presented in a more prestigious atmosphere.
