My First Relationship To Any Kind Of

Jazz Demands That You Bring To It Things That Are Valuable To You, That Are Personal To You.

I Was Deep In The Zone Of Practicing Almost Constantly

I Was Able To Work With The Best Musicians In Kansas City Starting When I Was Really Young

The Unity Band Project Has Been Life-changing For Me. I Have Led Many Groups Of Talented Musicians, But This Is Unlike Anything Else.

I Have To Admit That More And More Lately, The Whole Idea Of Jazz As An Idiom Is One That I've Completely Rejected. I Just Don't See It As An Idiomatic Thing Any More...to Me, If Jazz Is Anything, It's A Process, And Maybe A Verb, But It's Not A Thing. It's A Form That Demands That You Bring To It Things Athat Are Valuable To You, That Are Personal To You. That, For Me, Is A Pretty Serious Distinction That Doesn't Have Anything To Do With Blues, Or Swing, Or Any Of These Other Things That Tend To Be Listed As Essentials In Order For Music To Be Jazz With A Capital J.