"I think that virtuosity is the first sign of morality in a musician. It means you're serious enough to practice."

“Some stances are just conducive to swinging. If I stand up straight for too long it's harder to swing. Plus my feet hurt.”

“The reason why the music is important is that it's an art form— an ancient art form— that takes in the mythology of our people.”

“Flexibility is an essential part of Jazz. It's what gives Jazz music the ability to combine with all other types of music and not lose its identity.”

“I had a trumpet, but I didn't want to be a trumpet player. I wanted to be some type of athlete or in some type of scholarly activity, be a chemist or something—I had my little chemistry set, and I like playing with it.”

“They take your drawers off for you, they show your ass, they sell bullshit, they call themselves 'niggaz' and the women 'bitches' and 'hos' and it's fine with everybody. That's what the essence of decadence is.”