Jazz came to America three hundred years ago in chains.
Everything I record, I just try to sound like me and come up with songs that suit what I do and then just go for it. I never know what the public’s going to like, anyway.
Indian music is very soulful and the only other school that develops improv to the high degree you find in Jazz.
Jazz is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.
I’ve always felt rock and roll was very, very wholesome music.
I’m fortunate that I’m making a living at it now because I’m not equipped to do anything else.
I didn’t need to worry about keys, chords, melody if I had that emotion that brought tears and laughter to people’s hearts.
Composing makes me feel like I’ve finally gotten all the way up the ladder as a musician.
We don’t talk music. We just play.
I’ve had those people very interested in my writing. Since I think of myself as a composer, I feel really good. I’ve had lots of guys call me up. I’ve gotten two or three commissions to write things. I’ve written lots of movie scores.
What makes my approach special is that I do different things. I do jazz, blues, country music and so forth. I do them all, like a good utility man.
You don’t know what love is, until you’ve learned the meaning of the blues, until you’ve loved a love you’ve had to lose.
My role in society, or any artist or poet’s role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all.
How can I turn emotion into knowledge? That’s what I try to do with my horn.
I’ll keep evolving and put that into my songs.
I’m always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up in the morning and see the light. Then I’m grateful.
Jazz is a beautiful woman whose older brother is a policeman.
Music is the tool to express life – and all that makes a difference.
I’ve never recorded anything I didn’t like.
If you’ve only got one horn playing, I still want the sense of ensemble.
I’ve said that playing the blues is like having to be black twice. Stevie Ray Vaughan missed on both counts, but I never noticed.
