"The music is the message."

"You know, all this 'jazz' and 'bebop' and 'cool' and 'hot' labels are just for critics. It's all music."

"I don't like to talk about music. I like to play it."

"I don't care if you're white, black, green, or yellow. If you can play, you can play."

"I hate the word 'jazz.' It's a white word."