“It’s too bad that jazz is so underappreciated. In this country, jazz isn’t a meritocracy. We have certain strictures that we want to maintain and they don’t include anything that would favor a meritocracy. You know, unfortunately, I think that’s one of the main reasons why jazz is not praised, and it’s not . . . Well, I shouldn’t say that, musicians are still doing okay, I guess. It’s doing okay all over the world because it’s world music. But I believe it’s not as well represented here in the United States as it should be.”