The first time I saw him perform was at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 1994 and I cried, and everyone in the club cried. I'm fascinated by his phrasing. He's been an inspiration to a lot of people.

There wasn't a whole lot going on in the States for black actresses at the time. I didn't have a recording contract, and my daughters and I really liked the lifestyle we had.

'This Is New' was a beginning for me, a gentle announcement that this was where I was moving. For me as a musician, I've got to continue challenging myself. I'm sure at some point I'll come back to straight-ahead jazz, but I'm feeling the need to go outside of that realm right now to enlarge my musical vocabulary.

This album was really my way to say thank you to France for having opened its arms and adopted me, calling me one of their own.

Don't interpret anything too much. This is time waster number 1.

I was supposed to be authoritative, but at the same time had to be likeable, a quality that is a bonus, not a requirement, for men in the same position.