Oscar Peterson

Too many jazz pianists limit themselves to a personal style, a trademark, so to speak. They confine themselves to one type of playing.

We're not like pop musicians who have to perform the same top ten tunes every night of a tour.

You not only have to know your own instrument, you must know the others and how to back them up at all times. That's jazz.

The blessing that this film business has given me is that when I walk into a school I automatically have everyone's attention. They want to hear what the guy from 'Con Air' and 'Desperado' has to say.

I appreciate men like Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins very much.

The Detroit String Quartet played Brahms last night. Brahms lost.