"My father bought me a little cardboard accordion, and when I was three I got this little machine."

"And if I have a strong point, it's that I like to believe it's not cheap or schmaltzy sentimentality."

"My parents had a pub and each Sunday there was an accordionist. They have told me that when I was in my cradle, I already was imitating the gestures of the musician."

"You can be in Tokyo or Alberta at four in the morning in your hotel and you can still practice if you feel like it. A trombone cannot do that at four in the morning."

"Well, being a jazz musician is not a rose garden!"

"Today jazz is still very much alive. Everywhere I go there's a new generation of musicians."