Norman Simmons interviewed by Michael Woods, Majesty of the Seas, May 30, 1995 [video]

Table of Contents: Biography -- Beginning piano : "It starts with popularity" -- Learning to read music late : "The ear is number one" -- Orchestration as accompaniment/"Doing an instant arrangement" -- African rhythm and the afterbeat : "Frees the improvisation" -- Rhythmic improvisation, shading and ghosting notes -- Role of imagination in drawing full range of sounds from an instrument -- Basie rhythm section : "An artist is a technique" -- Ellington rhythmic structure : "The horns swung by themselves"/Big band dynamics -- Ellington story : Band coming on stage one person at a time -- Keyboard influences : Oscar Peterson, Ahmed Jamal and Hank Jones.