Everything I Do Is Mingus.

I Was Always Doing Revolutionary Things, Things That Would Alert People, So They Would Stop Being So Subservient.

I'm Too Busy Playing. When I'm Playing I Don't Pay Attention To Who's Listening. When I Was Listening I Listened To Symphony Orchestras, Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Stravinsky. You Don't Listen To One Instrument; You Listen To Music.

Our Nights Didn't Begin Until After Noon. Because In The Old Days, You'd Start Birdland At 8:30 Or 9 Pm And Play Until 4 In The Morning. Then You'd Go Out To The Corner And Talk To A Couple Of Musicians - I Used To Talk To Oscar Pettiford A Whole Lot - You'd Stand There Till 7, 8 Or 9, Or Else Go Down To The Jam Session At Minton's.

In My Music, I'm Trying To Play The Truth Of What I Am.

I Always Thought That No Matter What Kind Of Work People Did, They Should Involve Themselves Totally With All The Discrimination They Ran Into.