First You Imitate, Then You Innovate.

Monk Taught Me More About Music Composition Than Anyone Else On 52nd Street.

Do Not Be Afraid Of Errors. There Are No Errors.

Monk Was A Gentle Person, Gentle And Beautiful, But He Was Strong As An Ox. And If I Had Ever Said Something About Punching Monk Out In Front Of His Face - And I Never Did - Then Somebody Should Have Just Come And Got Me And Taken Me To The Madhouse, Because Monk Could Have Just Picked My Little Ass Up And Thrown Me Through A Wall.

In Other Words, An Instrument Should Be An Extension Of You; It's Supposed To Sound Like You - The Way You Walk, The Way You Dress, You Know.

I've Come Close To Matching The Feeling Of That Night In 1944 In Music, When I First Heard Diz And Bird, But I've Never Got There. . . . I'm Always Looking For It, Listening And Feeling For It, Though, Trying To Always Feel It In And Through The Music I Play Everyday.