As I look back now, some of those dates, the players - I think I didn't realize how fully significant that all was. My God, some of the playing you heard. You had to take it in, and it had to do something to you.

He always had his eye out for something new. He never pushed it away, but he embraced it. It became a part of how you program pops orchestras.

Personally, I think young musicians need to learn to play more than one style. Jazz can only enhance the classical side, and classical can only enhance the jazz. I started out playing classical, because you have to have that as a foundation.

Television is so influential that when an audience sees you day-in and day-out there's a certain acceptance that sets in; you're no longer a threatening personality. They become more willing to accept whatever you present.

I'm a Swede who loves Italian food; it's the culture I identify with mostly. I love the people and everything about them.

We were run out of a diner,