“All my inspiration comes from Ahmad Jamal.”

That’s the way women do. The frown. They want to give you the attitude to approach them back, by giving you a negative vibe.

Jazz is like blues with a shot of heroin!

Always listen for what you can leave out.

My father’s rich, my momma’s good looking. Right? And I can play the Blues. I’ve never suffered and don’t intend to suffer.

There are no wrong notes in jazz: only notes in the wrong places.

The thing to judge in any jazz artist is, does the man project and does he have ideas.

It’s not the note you play that’s the wrong note – it’s the note you play afterwards that makes it right or wrong.

If you sacrifice your art because of some woman, or some man, or for some color, or for some wealth, you can’t be trusted.

I’m out there doing the best that I can, My lip is cut and I’m still playing.

It took me twenty years study and practice to work up to what I wanted to play in this performance. How can she expect to listen five minutes and understand it?

It takes a long time to sound like yourself.

I don’t pay no attention to what critics say about me, the good or the bad. The toughest critic I got is myself…and I’m too vain to play anything I think is bad.

Food makes my mind sluggish.

If you love them in the morning with their eyes full of crust; if you love them at night with their hair full of rollers, chances are, you’re in love.

I never thought Jazz was meant to be a museum piece like other dead things once considered artistic.

Look, man, all I am is a trumpet player.

I wish I was Sienna Miller. When I talk to her, I hope a bit of her party personality will rub off on me, but it never does.

I still watch ‘Idol,’ and it’s still the No. 1 show, so obviously I’m not the only one who loves to sit at home and be entertained.

The world needs role models, instead of critics.

In my view, Zhang Lanxin is one of our best female martial artists, and I can’t rate her highly enough.

Whatever you love more than God is your idol.

Definitely people like Kanye, inspired me to work hard. He’s somebody who I’ve seen put that grind in over the years.

Every artist should want to be like Michael Jackson.

Anyone who idolizes you is going to hate you when he discovers that you are fallible. He never forgives. He has deceived himself, and he blames you for it.