Frank Wess on when his life started

Now, a Jazz Moment...

MUSIC: "Rainy Afternoon" CD: The Frank Wess Quartet, Prestige/Moodsville OJCCD 1103-2 (MV-8) (cut 2)

Frank Wess:   Like everything else with me, it seemed my life started when I was ten years old. (:05)

NEA Jazz Master Frank Wess...

Frank Wess: If I said, "I want a saxophone," my mother said, "Wait till you're ten years old."   "I wanna bicycle."   "Wait till you're ten years old."   If I wanted some skates, she says, "Wait till you're ten years old." When I was ten years old, my life started.   I got my saxophone, my bicycle, my skates, everything, you know! (:20)

But clearly, saxophone beat out all those other hobbies.

Frank Wess: Oh, well, I always liked saxophone.   Saxophone is very rewarding.   It's easy to learn to play, but it's not easy to master. (:13)

MUSIC: up and fades under

This Jazz Moment with saxophonist Frank Wess was created by the National Endowment For The Arts.