— You recently toured Russia for the first time. What were your impressions?
— I'm happy to have had the opportunity to come into contact with Russian culture. For years, I've heard from friends and fellow musicians that the Russian public appreciates good music and American jazz musicians. And I've always wanted to try the local food and see Russian cities.
— What kind of set did you play?
— My band and I play a little something for everyone — old and new, popular and totally new. Since I'm a jazz singer and trumpeter, so I added some worldwide jazz hits by the great American composers in the style of Chet Baker or the incomparable Frank Sinatra. We also played some interesting music written by the New York All Star Trio. I hope that everyone in the audience enjoyed it and found something for them.
— Would you like to work with Russian musicians?
— Jazz is a universal language, and a jam session with musicians from Russia would be the most natural way of communicating between us. We may not speak Russian or English, but when we play jazz, we speak the same language, the language of swing. Actually, jazz is an incredibly powerful force for uniting people because it includes elements from different cultures all over the world. It's important to share this music and to use it as a universal language in order to strengthen the bonds between us.
— They say that the human heart is a mystery. What can you say about the Russian heart?
— To me, Russians are the most open people in the world. You have incredibly strong family ties; there's a deep bond between compatriots, and everyone feels like a part of something. Russian musicians project the same feeling on stage, and this openness and straightforwardness makes for better music and a better time. To me, coming into contact with this spirit of camaraderie is a special and very interesting experience.