I would like to have people hear dissonance, but I don't want it to be so off-putting that they never get there to begin with. That's actually how I hear it that's what's pleasant to me. I don't like dense, chaotic dissonance. My brain gets lost. I need something to hang onto.

As soon as I sat down to write music, really, with Café Blue. I just can't think about that when I sit down to write. I don't let myself. I actually don't allow myself to look at sales figures. Ever. I get the general impression that I'm not selling like Norah Jones, but I don't really pay too much attention, because I think it would corrupt me.

All music now, I think, is fair game for jazz musicians to interpret, and they have been. I would consider those songs standards now. Norwegian Wood is a standard Call Me is a standard.

I must say, I don't think there's any more challenging music out there in jazz than what we're doing.

Jon Deitemyer is the drummer everyone wants right now.