The guitar chose me.
A person should design the way he makes a living around how he wishes to make a life.
Love songs last because they are about feelings that don’t change.
Jazz music can relax, soothe and uplift the mind when you absorb it.
I think that those elements – light and sound – are beyond democratic. They’re into the creative part of life.
Jazz is the false liquidation of art, instead of utopia becoming reality it disappears from the picture.
Just because I’m playing Jazz I don’t forget about me. I play or write me the way I feel through Jazz.
What have I got? No looks, no money, no education… just talent.
I love it when people hear my music but can’t figure out what instrument I’m playing.
Jazz is known all over the world as an American musical art form and that’s it. No America, no jazz. I’ve seen people try to connect it to other countries, for instance to Africa, but it doesn’t have a damn thing to do with Africa.
A series of vibrations. What does it matter, the source of the catalyst?
I’m not much on gimmicks. I never have been because they don’t last.
Inspiration comes from tunes you play, other musicians and your own imagination.
I kind of hate the fact that people are always trying to put you into a category. I hate walls, and I hate boundaries. I don’t like that. I listen to everything.
The deeper you get into the music allows the ability to appreciate art and all other forms of expression.
Don’t give up trying to do what you really want. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.
A guy is influenced by hundreds of people and things, and all show up in his work. To fasten on any one or two is ridiculous. I will say one thing, though. Lennie Tristanos early records impressed me tremendously. Tunes like Tautology, Marshmallow, and Fishin Around. I heard the fellows in his group building their lines with a design and general structure that was different from anything Id ever heard in jazz.
