It boils down to playing music, talking about music, listening to music.
The phone rings in my office. It’s Rudy Van Gelder! He says . . . did you write Basically Blues . . . yes I did . . . well Buddy Rich just recorded it. Where do we send the check?
Playing with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra is definitely one of the highlights of my life.
I started teaching before I even had a teacher. For me teaching is a joy.
Freddie’s feel, his time, his sound, just the spirit and essence of his playing. . . if I could play one phrase as great as what I just heard, that’s it! I could just retire!
I gravitated to the weird kid instruments. Euphonium. . . . what’s that? I’ll play that!
Creative music will only really work in the marketplace if you’re a good businessman.
In those days, the only people listed on the album were the rhythm section guys. For a year or more (after recording the flugelhorn solo on Paul McCartney’s Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey), I was the most famous unknown trumpet player in the world.
To me, Pat Metheny is without question the most important artist in jazz of our lifetime.
Unless you come to town playing like Ryan Kisor, Greg Gisbert or Nicholas Payton, you need to have a work ethic. Your work ethic has to be on point.
There I am with Bruckner and Bernstein . . . I was pretty freaked out.
