My main influences have always been the classic jazz players who sang, like Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole and Jack Teagarden.

All the classic jazz players all sang and a lot of 'em sang blues.

The jazz boom was goin' on then so there was a lot happenin' in New York at that time.

As far as I'm concerned, the essentials of jazz are: melodic improvisation, melodic invention, swing, and instrumental personality.

I'm always storing away phrases and ideas and things that I think might turn into songs.

Jazz has always been a melting pot of influences and I plan to incorporate them all.