It Isn't Where You Came From, Its

[on Bebop Years] All I Did Was Sing 'how High The Moon.' It Seemed Like The Only Song I Ever Sang.

Nobody Else Even Approaches The Trumpet Like [sweets Edison] Does: Never Too Much And Always Plenty. He's The Greatest Trumpet Player To Play Along With Singers. He Exactly Knows How To Play With You, How To Answer You About What You Just Sang ... On Top Of That, He Has Some Great Sense Of Humor, Both As A Musician And As A Man. Every Time I See Him, I'm Laughing So Much. Sweets Is Impeccable And Incomparable.

I Owe Marilyn Monroe A Real Debt … She Personally Called The Owner Of The Mocambo, And Told Him She Wanted Me Booked Immediately, And If He Would Do It, She Would Take A Front Table Every Night. She Told Him – And It Was True, Due To Marilyn’s Superstar Status – That The Press Would Go Wild. The Owner Said Yes, And Marilyn Was There, Front Table, Every Night. The Press Went Overboard. After That, I Never Had To Play A Small Jazz Club Again. She Was An Unusual Woman – A Little Ahead Of Her Times. And She Didn’t Know It.

Once, When We Were Playing At The Apollo Theater, Holiday Was Working A Block Away At The Harlem Opera House. Some Of Us Went Over Between Shows To Catch Her, And Afterwards We Went Backstage. I Did Something Then, And I Still Don't Know If It Was The Right Thing To Do—i Asked Her For Her Autograph.

It Isn't Where You Came From, Its Where You're Going That Counts.