 Don't worry about what others say about your music. Pursue whatever you are hearing... but if everybody really hates your music maybe you could try some different approaches. |
| When I auditioned for my high school band the band director was excited because my father was known to be a great musician. When he heard me, he said 'Are you sure you're Ellis's son?' |
| When I first came to New York everybody on the scene would treat me like I could play, but I couldn't. |
| Trumpet players see each other, and it's like we're getting ready to square off or get into a fight or something. |
| What I really have in my head, my imagination, my understanding of music, I never really get that out. |
| It was Dr. King's tireless activism that fostered our modern way of relating to one another. |
| There really have only ever been a few people in each generation who step out, are willing to put themselves on the line, and risk everything for their beliefs. |
| We always hear about the rights of democracy, but the major responsibility of it is participation. |
| I have absolutely no idea what my generation did to enrich our democracy. We dropped the ball. We entered a period of complacency and closed our eyes to the public corruption of our democracy. |
| I wanted to make somebody feel like Coltrane made me feel, listening to it. |
| Many a revolution started with the actions of a few. Only 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence. A few hanging together can lead a nation to change. |
| Whenever you face a man who's playing your instrument, there's a competition. |
| Don't settle for style. Succeed in substance. |
| The musicians I respected were much older than me. I expected them to cut my head, and they did. |
| This rebuilding of New Orleans gives us the perfect opportunity to see if we're ready to extend the legacy of Dr. King. |
| My older brother and myself always played together in bands, but we never knew we would be professional musicians. |
| My daddy expected that my brothers and I and our generation would make the world a better place. He had lived in an America of continual social progress. |
| The nerves are a problem on trumpet, because when you mess up everyone can hear it. Just remember most people are too polite to say anything about it. That should calm your nerves. |
| When did we begin to lose faith in our ability to effect change? |
| I believed in studying just because I knew education was a privilege. It was the discipline of study, to get into the habit of doing something that you don't want to do. |
