Count Basie was college, but Duke Ellington was graduate school.

Well, I'm too old to pimp, and too young to die, so I'm just gonna keep playin'

Imitate, assimilate, and innovate.

I believe that regardless of how many people you've listened to or emulated over the years, your sound is you and what you really feel inside.

Your sound is you & what you really feel inside.

Imitate, assimilate & innovate.

Your mind is a positive asset. Use it for positive thoughts.

I was very thrilled to witness the workby my ol' buddy Jim Widner whose expertise in the field of jazz education proved invaluable in putting this masterful CD (Yesterdays & Today) together.

Doctrines are meant to serve man, not the other way around.

"To fashion stars out of dog dung, that is the Great Work. To take a negative experience and, by comparing it to something worse, make it feel good, is the great skill."

I think women need kindness more than love. When one human being is kind to another, it's a very deep matter.

I had grown up as a fan of Studs Terkel. In Chicago he sort of looms large and is mentioned often.

Every time you hear a bell ring, it means that some angel's just got his wings.

Feed the musician, and he's out of tune.

Find joy and peace in this very moment.

Failure is a great teacher and, if you are open to it, every mistake has a lesson to offer.

Die trying" is the proudest human thing.

I think I really scored with my parents. All of my friends pretty much came from broken homes, and my parents are still together, but not only that, they're still in love and still write together.