When I Was First Aware That I

The Source Of Inspiration Can Be Any Of The Things:deep Emotional Experiences - Say, Romantic Love Or Spiritual Contemplation.i Think Such Rare Moments Come Only When You Have Total Concentration. You Are Consumed In And By The Music. I Guess You Could Say That It Is Akin To Contemplation. In Order To Reach This Desirable State Of Mind You Have To Rise Above The Environment You're In At That Particular Time - A Bad Piano, Glaring Stage Lights, Or The Attitude Of The Audience. Sometimes The Inspiration Of The Other Musicians You're Playing With Helps You Reach This Stage.

Damn It, When I'm Bombastic, I Have My Reasons. I Want To Be Bombastic-take It Or Leave It.

I Don't Think You Can Separate A Person's "style" And His Persona. If You're Writing Or Improvising Honestly, You Will Inevitably Reflect Who You Are.

I Got A Poster From Columbia Records, And There's Miles Davis, Charlie Mingus, Ellington, Count Basie - Everybody In That Poster Has Died, I'm The Only One Left. And Great Players Like Paul Desmond And Gerry Mulligan, It's Hard To Believe They're Gone Because We Were All So Close. But I Believe In The Future And The Tradition Will Go On.

Jazz Is About Freedom Within Discipline.