There's a wide spectrum of possibilities in how to deliver a song.

It's true that I'm not known as a crooner or balladeer. I'm known for a more crusading or quixotic temperament.

I think my intention was there, and my love for the music was apparent. And there are very few singers who get up and desire to take the kinds of risks that jazz musicians routinely need to be taking.

My goal is to be really incredible by the time I'm 70.

I was very lucky that more experienced musicians allowed me to caterwaul until I figured out what it was really about.

A lot of people are put off by the idea of scat singing. Either that or it's something to be made fun of.

I know how hard it's been for me to get my thing out there.

If you're going to be transparent, you're going to have to let the music come that wants to come.

I don't want to take it easy.

People want to have access to jazz because it has a vibe that's very strong.

I want to be the jazz singer.

The singer is always an ambassador of music.

I try to sleep as much as I can. I drink a lot of water. I practice consistently and just try to be ready for the gig.

Each of the CDs prior to 'Flirting With Twilight' were more like roller-coaster rides.

Why limit yourself to one discipline or field of study?

I've tried to learn as much as I can about the great jazz singers to understand what makes them important, vital artists, but there is always something more to learn.

Of course we all know when music's too much in the head, and we define our greatest players by the way they are able to communicate directly from their emotional selves.

Out in L.A., things relax even further than they do in Chicago. There's such a looseness to it, and there's a potentially refreshing advantage to that.

Man, I just feel so fortunate to be a jazz musician at all. I have a hard time thinking of it any other way. It's such a fulfilling vocation. I love it.

As improvisers, we're acting as composers in front of people.

I'm a jazz musician, and I really wanted to not miss an opportunity to have the full connection to jazz.

That's the thing: There are so many art songs in jazz. It's a much more rich experience for the singer than people think.

The idea is to be unrestrained by categories.

I spend upwards of 200 nights a year on the road.