At age 15 I had been playing blues and rock guitar for
about 2 years when a friend called and said "Drop
everything and get over here right away". When I
got there he proceeded to play John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu
Orchestra's "Dance of the Maya". The harmonic
and rhythmic complexity coupled with the sheer power of
the music floored me completely. It was the fusion music
of that era that led me to a deep appreciation of straight-ahead
jazz and of artists such as Pat Martino, Bill Evans, and
John Coltrane.
Name a few of your greatest influences and why?
Jimi Hendrix was such a monster. His grasp of the blues,
his innovative techniques and wonderful songwriting are
timeless. He sounds as good to me now as when I first
heard him.
John McLaughlin because of his fearless approach to music.
Wes Montgomery. What can you say about Wes, every note
is perfection. His improvised solos are perfect compositions
and extremely soulful. Could that man swing!
What made you decide to become a musician?
I don't think there ever was a concious decision-I simply
did what I had to do.
Tell us about your new recording "groovework"
As much as I love "straight ahead jazz" I've always loved blues and funk and wanted to do a project where I mix the improv of jazz with the backbeat grooves of funk. groovework's all original compositions reflect many different influences in my life ranging from early George Benson, Mike Stern, Weather Report, Jaco and John Scofield to name a few.
Whats in your CD player right now?
Bartok's "Concerto for Orchestra", Pat Martino's
"Live at Yoshi's", George Benson's "Body
Talk" Pat Metheny's "Trio 99-00" and
Alice in Chains "Dirt".
