I just try to do as good job with the material as I can and play some jazz as well, some improvised music, and do that every night. Just see where it goes.

I went through the whole number, you know. The swing era, the boogie woogie era, the bebop era. Thelonious Monk is still one of my favorites. So a lot of these people had their effect on me.

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

Everybody cryin' mercy / When they don't know the meaning of the word.

The things that really matter don't mix with idle chatter.

Ever since the world ended, I don't go out as much

I have no idea what I'm doin'. I've never seen me.

I been getting good crowds. It only took 50 years.

I'm playin' music for a certain type of person. Fortunately, there are more and more of us. At least there are more comin' to see me than there were 30 years ago or so.

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

I never sit down and write. I just sorta let things form in my brain.

Fear not! The Lord will rescue and deliver you.

Your body language continuously communicates for you, whether you are aware of it or not. Are your intended messages being well conveyed?

I am an arrogant and impatient listener, but in the case of a few composers, a very few, when I hear a work I do not like, I am convinced that it is my own fault. Verdi is one of those composers.

My mother taught me something at a young age - she said 'you are the company you keep.' To define yourself by some label or some level of resources - that's pretty shallow.

The hoopla with all the award season is kind of mind-boggling. It kind of puts you on your heels.

Sharing makes you bigger than you are. The more you pour out, the more life will be able to pour in.

Let's face it, making movies is all risk. Most of the time, batting average-wise, the reward does not outweigh the risk.

Anecdotes, personal stories, reminiscences, like biblical parables, are the medium through which faith is restored. Stories are a form of poetry, and give us a saving image to personally relate to.

I believe education is the key. As an activist and a child of the developing world, I witnessed education's power to transform lives.

Correct observation followed by meticulous deduction and the precise visualization of goals is vital to the success of any enterprise.