It pulled me like a magnet, jazz did, because it was a way that I could express myself.

The spirit of jazz is the spirit of openness.

I think I was supposed to play jazz.

It's not exclusive, but inclusive, which is the whole spirit of jazz.

Even during the major avant-garde period of jazz in the late '60s and early '70s, the songs usually had melodies, some harmonic starting-off point, or something to unify a particular piece in the beginning.

I knew of jazz, but I didn't like it. I always thought only older people liked jazz - you know, you had to be 19 or 20.