The sound of the orchestra is one of the most magnificent musical sounds that has ever existed.

Now, when I play soul piano, for instance, and I play a rendition of 'Spain,' I do it deconstructively. That's the most fun, but I can only do that when I'm on my own.

Talking about the body getting old, there's a sadness to it in a way.

I got a chance to listen to and watch Thelonious Monk and his quartet play two shows a night, for six weeks. It was a great education. There was my university, man.

You don't have to be Picasso or Rembrandt to create something. The fun of it, the joy of creating, is way high above anything else to do with the art form.

The most important lesson I took from Miles was his certainty as an artist. He was criticized in a lot of different ways, as most artists are ... when they try and do something, but he never wavered from continuing to make the kind of music that he really wanted to make. And that was very inspiring to me, ... that spiritual quality of courage and forthrightness.