My People Are Americans. My Time Is

Writing Music Is Not So Much Inspiration As Hard Work.

Summertime And The Living Is Easy Fish Are Jumpin' And The Cotton Is High Oh, Your Daddy's Rich And Your Mama's Good Lookin' So Hush Little Baby Now Don't You Cry One Of These Mornin's You're Gonna Rise Up Singin' Then You'll Spread Your Wings And Take To The Sky But Til That Mornin' Ain't Nothin' Can Harm You With Your Daddy And Your Mammy Standin' By.

Out Of My Entire Annual Output Of Songs, Perhaps Two, Or At The Most Three, Came As A Result Of Inspiration. We Can Never Rely On Inspiration. When We Most Want It, It Does Not Come.

When Jazz Is Played In Another Nation, It Is Called American. When It Is Played In Another Country, It Sounds False. Jazz Is The Result Of The Energy Stored Up In America.

I Frequently Hear Music In The Heart Of Noise.