Charlie Haden

That's what I tell my students at California Institute of the Arts where I taught for 27 years. I taught them if you strive to be a good person, maybe you might become a great jazz musician.

That's the thing about musicians: The priority is to create something new that's never been before. And you put your life on the line every time that you play.

As long as there are musicians who have a passion for spontaneity, for creating something thats never been before, the art form of jazz will flourish.