Pat Metheny

What I look for in musicians is a sense of infinity.

I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music world and have been able to play exactly what I have wanted the way I have wanted.

It's more about conception and touch and spirit and soul than whether my hardware was in place.

I have three young kids and a great family. I love hanging out with them more than anything.

I used to love going and playing jam sessions, doing things spontaneously. I can't do that anymore. Everything you do is documented, nothing is casual anymore.

Whatever my recorded output is, it's a reflection of a general love of music.

When talking about writing, I often use the analogy of archaeology. There are these great tunes all around. Your skill as a musician allows you to pick them out without breaking them.

I love playing and working on music. It is something that I feel really lucky to be able to spend my life doing. And I don't sleep much!

The Unity Band' project has been life-changing for me. I have led many groups of talented musicians, but this is unlike anything else.

The reality of music itself, which is the fabric of life for me, is where most of my attention is.

There are musicians who go through their lives sort of shedding their skins. For me, I've always felt backward-compatible to Version 1.0.

For me, let's keep jazz as folk music. Let's not make jazz classical music. Let's keep it as street music, as people's everyday-life music. Let's see jazz musicians continue to use the materials, the tools, the spirit of the actual time that they're living in, as what they build their lives as musicians around.