Erroll Garner is a guy that was a seminal in my love of jazz. If you go onto YouTube, you can see a black and white version of him and his band performing 'Eldorado' on some TV show that just knocks me out, and I just played it over and over again for awhile.

I love Thelonious Monk so much! He was on the cover of Time magazine when I was little, and I loved his unique, angular, discordant songwriting and playing. I heard the title 'Ugly Beauty', and just loved that idea.

The whole score to that musical is very beautiful. Keith Jarrett is one of my favorite piano players. This song was on a CD I was given by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, with whom I was working.

Ray Charles has always been just a hero of mine. What an inspiration. I love his voice and the way he sings and the way he plays piano. 'Makin' Whoopee' is just one song that I love the way he does.

But then I said, "Hey Emily's here. Do you know this song, 'Emily'?” I started to sing it to her and since then it's always spoken to me. I met Tony Bennett in passing once, believe it or not, while out doing publicity. Gee, I just think the world of him.