My plays are ultimately about love, honor, duty, betrayal.

I think it is an extraordinary honor, and it is truly a capstone of my career. I am overwhelmed.

I'm glad I finished the cycle [of plays],

Blues is the bedrock of everything I do. All the characters in my plays, their ideas and attitudes, the stance they adopt in the world, are all ideas and attitudes that are expressed in the blues.

Jazz in itself is not struggling. That is, the music itself is not struggling... It's the attitude that's in trouble. My plays insist that we should not forget or toss away our history.

Ride for glory, Stand for honor and only fall for love.