I've had the healthy and sobering experience of constantly working with music that is invariably better than any performance of it can be.

Elliott Carter does not write the kind of music that the kids go off to school whistling.

I found that jazz musicians, possibly more than their classical counterparts, wear long-standing friendships easily and gracefully.

A sack is way better than any nightclub. A touchdown is way better than any bar experience I've ever had.

I'm on very good terms with all my former wives.

People who don't do jazz think it's black magic. But really, it's just a matter of getting used to it. It's fun to gamble. The trick is not to fall back on the things you've done before.