To Quincy Jones, For Showing The Way ...

With Frank Sinatra I didn’t have to tell him anything. He was already there; he was doing me a favor. But the other ones were all brand new. Will Smith, nobody knew who he was.

Do these mentorees have your private cell-phone number?

I don’t carry a cell phone. I don’t want to be reached all the time. But I’m lucky, Glenn, my security guy, he always has his cell on him.

When you’re mentoring can you be really bossy?

Mentoring is watching younger people who haven’t had a chance to make mistakes benefit from yours. When I was 13, Count Basie sat me down and told me about the hills and the valleys.

Ray Charles was your mentor, right?