Thelonious Sphere Monk: there's not a more perfect name to fit his compositions than that name.
Miles Davis was a part of my life from 1947 on. I was born in 1941 and I first heard him in 1947 on a 78 rpm. And then I followed his career, starting with his first solo album in 1951. He was an icon and inspiration and a mentor to me.
Every few generations there are people who come along that change the way we look at the world, for musical enthusiasts Monk is one of these individuals.
Charlie Parker was a genius, as was Lester Young.
You can't steal a gift. Bird [Charlie Parker] gave the world his music, and if you can hear it you can have it.
I knew Charlie Parker, and he gave us such a gift with his music. He put so much into so little space, and it was tragic that he died so young.
It's called 'Miles Davis, Prince of Darkness,' and it's about Miles Davis, the genius, and why he was the way he was, and how he changed music so many times. He changed music six times. So, I'm excited about that movie.
I was interested in Armstrong to begin with because he is the most important figure in Jazz in the 20th Century. There's simply no question about it. I mean, if you're going to compare him to somebody, it's Shakespeare in terms of centrality of the tradition, in being at the beginning of it.
