Don't Settle For Style. Succeed In Substance.

I Feel That For Years Of Teaching In The Country And Reading Criticism In Books, I Feel Like The Things Most Needed In Our Culture Are The Understanding Of The Meanings Of Our Music. We Haven't Done That Good Of Job Teaching Our Kids What Our Music Means Or How We Developed Our Taste In Music That Reminds Us And Teaches Us Who We Are.

We're Blues People. And Blues Never Lets Tragedy Have The Last Word.

Who Creates A Thing Is Not As Important As What The Thing Is. Who Created Baseball? Who Created Basketball? Who Created The Space Program? Who Created - We Could Go On And On. We Could Argue About Who Created Something. We All Are Participants In It.

Jazz Is Democracy In Music.

It's Harder To Build Than Destroy. To Build Is To Engage And Change. In Jazz, We Call Progressing Harmonies Changes. Changes Are Like Obstacles On A Speed Course. They Demand Your Attention And Require You To Be Present. They Are Coming...they Are Here..... And Then They Are Gone. It's How Life Comes. Each Moment Is A Procession From The Future Into The Past And The Sweet Spot Is Always The Present. Live In That Sweet Spot. Be Present.