The economic picture in the States today doesn't allow for jazz concerts in a tour fashion. People now are too used to the Festival, which gives them more names for the same price.

My juices needed restoring. I needed a sabbatical from the record business.

To play today in London, next week in Madrid and the week after that in Warsaw is a bit better than playing Newark and Baltimore and Philadelphia. I've been doing that for 20 years.

Amsterdam must have more than a million people. But the only area where jazz is really profitable and successful in an economic sense is in Japan. That's because they haven't been exposed enough.

Sponsors and networks will really go all out and simply evaluate people on the basis of talent.

Jazz is America's own. It is played and listened to by all peoples - in harmony together. Pigmentation differences have no place... as in genuine democracy, only performance counts.

If you don't get substantially what you want, be ready to walk. And don't look back.

There are very few groups that really stay together. The leaders of groups make enough money to be able to afford to work a maximum of 35-40 weeks a year.

If I were to put on Barbra Streisand and Duke Ellington, one might say the combination isn't good.

I don't say that the supposed Civil Rights development is a myth, but it's a matter of dealing with reality. It's purely peripheral and, in many cases, it's just a facade.

Germany is probably the richest country in Western Europe. Yet they wouldn't take any television with Duke and Ella, their reaction being that people weren't interested in it.

If you are lacking confidence in something, just keep trying and don’t give up.

...remember that the danger that is most to be feared is never the danger we are most afraid of.

The rigid saint, by whom no mercy's shown To saints whose lives are better than his own.

Many things in your life matter, but only one thing matters absolutely.. It is finding the essence of who you are.

Your paycheck is not your employer's responsibility, it's your responsibility. Your employer has no control over your value, but you do.

I swear by Neutrogena facial wash - I never sleep in my makeup!

I like the idea of politically charged music a lot, but it usually seems to be preaching to the choir and ineffective.

A sentence well couched takes both the sense and understanding. I love not those cart-rope speeches that are longer than the memory of man can fathom.

If we decide to take this level of business creating ability nationwide, we'll all be plucking chickens for a living.

I do not know any way to explain why God's grace touches a man who seems unworthy of it.