At a jam session at Small’s Paradise, there was this tenor player who had just bought a tenor a few days before. Came up on the stand and didn't know anything. He was playing this one lick; that's all he knew. The musicians were just rolling, but Bird was sitting there like he was really listening.

Somebody said, “Come on, Bird.” Bird said, “I hear what he's trying to do.” The next set Bird went up on the stage and played what the cat was trying to do, but he played it!