Whenever I wrote songs – particularly back then – it would always be for a particular artist.

The mother-in-laws themselves weren’t natural jokes but most comedians used to use that.

My music is homegrown from the garden of New Orleans. Music is everything to me short of breathing. Music also has a role to lift you up – not to be escapist but to take you out of misery.

As a young child, I thought that all pianists played everything. I mean, I thought anything on piano – any piano music, all pianists played it.

When you’re playing live, those people who you’re trying to please and reach, they’re right there giving you feedback. And you don’t get that feedback in the studio.

To get to New Orleans you don’t pass through anywhere else. That geographical location, being aloof, lets it hold onto the ritual of its own pace more than other places that have to keep up with the progress.

It's surprising to me how much has happened in such a short length of time,

It was so good to see Irma's face when we made this album, ... She did us proud.

This is quite a time. Maybe the most unique time ever for me. But I can't thank everyone enough for what they've done for New Orleans. We have really gotten a chance to find out who we are at a time like this. And where we are. We're in the greatest country in the world.

It was the real thing ... When we were recording, sometimes we'd make a 'human fade' - we would just play softer and softer. We didnt have any overdubbing. When one guy took a solo, the other guys would stand up and snap their fingers and dance around the studio. We were having a wonderful time.