Always Look Ahead, But Never Look Back.

Drummers - Sometimes They Play And They Listen. And That Little Listen Takes A Speck Away From The Right Tempo.

I Would Never Try And Play Like Harry James, Because I Don't Like His Tone - For Me. It's Just White. You Know What I Mean? He Has What We Black Trumpet Players Call A White Sound. But It's For White Music ... I Can Tell A White Trumpet Player, Just Listening To A Record. There'll Be Something He'll Do That'll Let Me Know That He's White.

Do Not Be Afraid Of Errors. There Are No Errors.

I Gave The Album [you're Under Arrest] To Quincy Jones And He Loved "d Train". We Couldn't Call It "d Train"; It's Called "mdi/something's On Your Mind/md2". That's On The Album.

You Can Tell Whether A Person Plays Well Or Not By The Way He Carries The Instrument, Whether It Means Something To Him Or Not.