Records Used To Be Documents,

There Are Four Qualities Essential To A Great Jazzman. They Are Taste, Courage, Individuality, And Irreverence.

Life Is Too Full Of Distractions Nowadays. When I Was A Kid We Had A Little Emerson Radio And That Was It. We Were More Dedicated. We Didn't Have A Choice.

I Had A 10-year Heroin Habit And Kicked That. Then I Became An Alcoholic. I Drank Two Fifth's A Day.

When I Got This Saxophone, It Became A Religion. There Wasn't Tv, There Wasn't Much Money, And There Was Just A Real Dedication.... I Never Thought Of It As An Art. It Was Just Work That I Loved. Not Just Work, But Work That I Loved. I Loved It So Much, I Would Play It If Nobody Listened To It. Any Jazz Musician, If There's Nobody Around To Listen, Would Play Just For The Sheer Joy Of Improvising Music.

You Know, When I'm Playing, I Think Of Myself In Front Of The Wailing Wall With A Saxophone In My Hands, And I'm Davening, I'm Really Telling It To The Wall.