I like what I hear other guys doing, but the thing that really attracts me is melodic playing.
Eliminating the piano means that I’ve always worked closer with the bass than most players.
I’m fascinated with the electronic devices that we can mess around with.
If you’ve only got one horn playing, I still want the sense of ensemble.
I’ve always wanted a C trumpet on top, to have that same kind of facility without shouting.
In a way, I started out to be a baritone player.
It’s true I’ve always been attracted to the jazz band in an orchestral way, rather than a band way.
Only the French, I guess, really use tenor and alto to any great extent in the orchestra.
When I began listening to saxophones, I was first attracted to Coleman Hawkins.
You can make a saxophone into an electric organ; you can do everything with it.
In fact, I heard Bird first, and had got well into listening to him. You know, it’s the kind of accidental thing that awareness of a player is: what’s available, what somebody happens to play for you.
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