My main goal in life is to be happy. If I can make other people happy by doing what I love, then I feel like I've done everything in life that I've wanted. I just want to make people feel good and change people's lives with music, and that's it.
All your experiences, the places you go to, the encounters you have with people, and, of course, your cultural trappings all make you who you are, and who you are makes your music.
My mother comes from the Dominican Republic, so I have the Latin side in me, and I grew up with Gypsies. But I like any kind of music as long as it's good music.
My first memories of music are of my mother playing Dominican music in the house because my parents love to dance. They love to throw parties and dance, so there was a lot Latin music in the house.
If I feel like a night in, or if I have an early plane to catch, I like to make some chai tea and snack on dark chocolate while watching a movie on my projector and big screen. I'm crazy about all kinds of movies, especially the classic Steven Spielberg ones or 'The Godfather.'
There are so many musicians in New York, and there is this energy and fire in this city that inspires you and makes you want to learn and to get out there. People are constantly evolving and constantly creating here, and you get pushed along just by being in that energy.
For me, jazz offers so much freedom in the way the music can be interpreted. It's natural to me. It's where I feel most free.
I'm an early riser, which is sometimes a drag when I have late-night concerts. But I prefer to wake up early - say, 8:30 - and maybe take a nap during the day.
I was practically born in Cameroon; my family moved there when I was two weeks old.
Every June, Gypsies come in caravans from all over Europe to honor Django Reinhardt at a festival in Samois-sur-Seine. When I was little, I started hanging out with them. They fascinated me - they really, literally, live in the moment. They take every day as if it's their last.
What I love about jazz is the improvisation, the fact that you never know what's going to happen next.
From Michael Jackson to Peggy Lee, I like it all.
I love the guitar because you can bring it everywhere, and you can start a jam wherever you are.
I want to go to a country where I don't speak the language. I want to be lost in translation.
