I Played In Rhumba Bands, Mickey Mouse

I Came From An Era When We Didn't Use Electronic Instruments. The Bass Wasn't Even Amplified. The Sound Was The Sound You Got.

I Compulsively Reach For Perfection In Music, Often At The Expense Of Everything Else In My Life.

I'm A Recovered Alcoholic. I Don't Do Anything Anymore, But Those Things, Those Things Take Away ... You're A Different Personality Completely When You Take Those. For Those Who Are Really Chemically Dependent On Anything, It's Not You.

When I Got This Saxophone, It Became A Religion. There Wasn't Tv, There Wasn't Much Money, And There Was Just A Real Dedication.... I Never Thought Of It As An Art. It Was Just Work That I Loved. Not Just Work, But Work That I Loved. I Loved It So Much, I Would Play It If Nobody Listened To It. Any Jazz Musician, If There's Nobody Around To Listen, Would Play Just For The Sheer Joy Of Improvising Music.

Switch To Piano! No. Really, If You Like An Instrument That Sings, Play The Saxophone. At Its Best It's Like The Human Voice. Of Course, It Would Be Best If You Could Actually Sing With Your Own Voice. The Saxophone Is An Imperfect Instrument, Especially The Tenor And Soprano, As Far As Intonation Goes. Therefore, The Challenge Is To Sing On An Imperfect Instrument Or 'voice' That Is Outside Of Your Body. I Love That Challenge And Have For Over Forty-five Years. As Far As Playing Jazz, No Other Art Form, Other Than Conversation, Can Give The Satisfaction Of Spontaneous Interaction.