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.

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.

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.

The whole reason for Jazz at the Philharmonic was to take it to places where I could break down segregation.

The greatest blessings is to get rid of the sinful nature through God's grace.

Maturity/experience: the beguiling texture of stones subjected to years of furious seas.

Never quit on life, keep fighting your way through it.

I'm attracted to soccer's capacity for beauty. When well played, the game is a dance with a ball.

Art is a higher type of knowledge than experience.

There have been a lot of changes [in the fashion industry], of course. You just have to accept it and be strong.

The issue is that [Saddam] has chemical weapons.

Luck is a crossroad where preparation and opportunity meet

If I need you I'll give you a signal.' What signal?" I'll imitate the scream of a terrified little girl

It often comes down to the people that you get to work with, and to match or enhance their creation. I tend to fall in love with whatever project we are involved in at the moment.