Quotes from Trombone Shorty

We come from New Orleans, so everything is emotional - for, once the music takes over, and we start blowing, we go into a different zone that takes over our whole body.

I didn't know what the word 'genre' meant till I was twenty years old.

I'm very proud of my band and my musicians.

I have to continue to make the older musicians proud and brush up on my skills.

Certain jazz musicians just copy what was done 100 years ago. The music won't grow if nobody takes a risk.

Hopefully, I can stay around a lot of young musicians and feed off of them.

I'm big fans of all those musicians, B.B. King, Mick Jagger - they're all on my iPod.

If I can just play, it doesn't matter where we are... Japan, Australia, or here in the neighborhood.

I grew up right in the heart of Treme, so it was a real music neighborhood, and there was a bunch of bands like the Dirty Dozen Brass Band around.

I have to continue to grow and take it to another level so the next generation has something to follow.

Music brings unity.

I just don't like looking at the crowd and seeing them just staring and listening to the music. When I get them involved, whatever type of music I'm playing, they leave there feeling better.

Sometimes it's very hard for other New Orleans musicians to break out. It starts with the musician. They have to be willing to take a risk. Playing in the city, you can get comfortable. You think things are going well, but you're always in the city.

I've dreamed a lot of things and a lot of them have come true. The Grammy nomination was the last thing on my list before I had to write a new one. So I'm working on a new one.

People get caught up in recreating something, and that actually hurts the genre of music because there's nothing new.

When we're ready to do the dress rehearsal, we'll rehearse in the dark. No lights. The reason why I do that is because I don't want the band to rely on me for anything. 'Cause anything can happen - I might stop singing or unplug the mic, just so everybody knows: Keep going, no matter what.

Music in New Orleans has always been the heartbeat that drives the city. It was that even before Katrina, and that's what we had to rely on after the storm.

It doesn't matter where we are. We can be marching down the streets of New Orleans, or we can be onstage in front of 15,000 people. As long as I know that I'm about to put my horn to my mouth and play some notes, that's what I most look forward to.

Actually, I started off playing by ear and being around a bunch of musicians playing in the streets in the different parades.

Whatever fame or success we have right now came strictly from us playing. As long as we focus on music and not trying to be stars, I think we'll be okay.

New Orleans is like a big musical gumbo. The sound I have is from being in the city my whole life.

I don't know what America would be without New Orleans and the music.

I think The Meters are like The Beatles to us in New Orleans, you know.

All New Orleans music is based off dance music, even jazz.