Ludwig van Beethoven

Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.

Music should strike fire from the heart of man and bring tears to the eyes of woman.

I still love the whole history of Jazz. The old things sound better than ever.

One way or the other, if you want to find reasons why you shouldn’t keep on, you’ll find ’em. The obstacles are all there; there are a million of ’em.

I was probably six years old when I first sang before an audience.

I was unfashionable before anyone knew who I was.

Well if I could play like Wynton Marsalis, I wouldn’t play like Wynton.

Bebop was about change, about evolution. It wasn’t about standing still and being safe.

Find the best teachers, listen to the finest playing and try to emulate that. Be true to the music.

Somebody asked me once, ‘Do you think that swing will ever come back?’ And I said, ‘Do you think the 1938 Form will ever come back?’

I think I love it more as I get older because I keep getting better on drums, vibes and piano.

Man, as long as people want to hear Jazz, I’ll give it to them.

It’s not what they think, it’s about what’s best for the music.

It takes an intelligent ear to listen to Jazz.

It’s like an act of murder; you play with intent to commit something.

A chimpanzee could learn what I do physically, but it goes way beyond that. When you play, you play life.

I don’t meditate before I play or compose, but I see playing and composing as meditative acts.