The true musician is to bring light into people's hearts.

It's not that I don't love the song. My songs are like my children: some you want around and some you want to send off to college as soon as possible.

Part of our responsibility as parents, as adults, is to set examples for children. But we have to like children in order to be really happy fulfilled adults.

But, if there's any aspect of my career that needs attention, it's writing.

I do a lot of performing, but don't get a chance to go to the studio and write good music.

I don't want anything to get in the way of me and my singing. I want my mind as clear as possible.

I grew up in a time when being a musician and learning to be a musician was actually very wonderful.

I have a lot of albums yet to do.

I like to use the audience as my color palette, my instrument.

I played piano as a kid; I still play a little bit.

I prepared five songs, I sang them, and he hired me. I started working about a month later at the piano bar.

I want to write a book of poetry, as well as children's stories.

My biggest musical influences are probably my parents.

My father was a very disciplined singer who worked hard at his craft, and I was around that growing up.

I did the one concert, and I was not bitten by the conducting bug, and I thought I was done, but then the phone started to ring, and gradually, over time, I started conducting more and more. Now a third of my performances are with orchestras.

I like a very dark house, just black. I sit there and just think. Once I'm still and quiet inside, I'll begin. It's very personal; it has to be. One song may be Bach, the next blues, a song from TV, or a nursery rhyme or jazz piece.

I'd actually been making my living as an organist with bands since I was probably 15 or 16 years old, and then as a senior in high school I put together a jazz quintet called The Bobby Mack Jazz Quintet.

If I can bring joy into the world, if I can get people to stop thinking about their pain for a moment, or the fact the tomorrow morning they're going to get up and tell their boss off... then I'll be successful.

Miles Davis turned his back to the audience when he came out on stage, and he offended people. But, he wasn't there to entertain; he was all about the music. I kind of do that.

Seriously though, my father was the first African American to sign a contract with the Metropolitan Opera so I grew up with classical music and jazz in the home all the time.