I think the challenges for me was to go into the studio with these incredible jazz players and come up to their level of excellence. That's always a challenge.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I am not a jazz singer. I wouldn't place myself on that footing. I wouldn't even enter that arena.
I'm thrilled when I hear the greatest jazz musicians. They continue to search in ways other musicians do not.
If I'm not a jazz player all the time, I've at least been cued in to what I do by jazz.
It's a weird thing where, especially in jazz, you have to totally mention cutting sessions and people one-upping each other and people being super, super tough on each other. And out of it emerge these genius musicians.
Jazz is a hard music, and you have to really work hard and also have fun performing; that's the most important thing.
I'm a jazz musician, and I really wanted to not miss an opportunity to have the full connection to jazz.
I don't think I've ever been true to jazz. There's always a kind of jazz element to what I do. There are a very few genres that I haven't tried out, really, in what I've been doing. As a jazz musician, you can kind of mess about with things with a certain level of musicianship, which helps.
Jazz is very much a part of my life. I work with the Thelonious Monk Institute and do the artwork for their program every year.
The worst thing about the life of a jazz musician on the road is getting to the gig. Once you're there and playing, it's marvelous.
Man, I just feel so fortunate to be a jazz musician at all. I have a hard time thinking of it any other way. It's such a fulfilling vocation. I love it.