“One of my heroes is the writer William Maxwell, also no longer around in his earthly shape. Late in his life, he began taking piano lessons and working his way through some simple classical pieces. I think this gave him great pleasure but was also frustrating—in the way making music is even more difficult for those who have spent their lives appreciating the superb performances of others. In his final year, a dear friend said to him, ‘Bill, in the life to come you will be able to play the piano with ease, won’t you?’ And he replied, ‘In the next life I will not be making music. I will be music.’”
Michael Steinman, “Marty Napoleon (1921-2015)” (Jazz Lives, April 29, 2015)