Anybody who’s working in pictures, I don’t care whether you say it out loud or not, wants to be a director. The actors all think, ‘When I’m washed up in this, I can be a director.’ The writer says, ‘If I write a good script, I’ll direct it myself.’
“To play improvised music you have to bring something to the table, not just an ability to blow into a horn and take directions. If you know what you want to do, write it down; if you’re interested in what an ensemble can do, let them play.”