I grew up in a musical family, and it has always been a very significant part of my life. I started playing music, more formally speaking, when I was 11 years old on saxophone. I started very early with the help of a band director who played saxophone and jazz. This pushed me, by the end of my sixth grade year, to read play-along music charts of jazz standards. I began to improvise. . . I have played, in one way or another, since then including band projects through college and lessons with a Professor or Saxophone, John Nichol at Central Michigan University as well as from the talented multi-instrumentalist, Robb Smith.
However, after playing music frantically through my undergraduate degree, I stopped playing out in public and turned my attention to other things - namely, social activism. The ideas I held at the time led me to believe that, if people were suffering anywhere, then playing music was at best a privilege of upbringing. So, I set my sights on changing the world.
After what become a ten year break from it, I turned again to playing music professionally. That change was significant for me, and, over the last five years, I have become something of a working musician. Not having a place in my life for that expression and artistry proved unsustainable, and I don't know how I did it for so long. . .
Since coming back to playing, I have had the enjoyment of playing part in a number of compelling projects in the areas of progressive rock as well as funk and grooves, and am currently exploring 50's-60's style hard bop and soul jazz. This explosive period for me is very important as it led to many of the modern forms of popular music today from jazz fusion to R&B, soul to rock and roll, and from funk to the development of the hard bop sound in progressive jazz.
My current and most active project, The On Quartet, plays every Friday at Poppycock's Restaurant; having become the house band. Poppycock's has always been a place where people can enjoy high-quality musicianship and varied musical expressions.
In The On Quartet, I play with drummer, Jon Lindenau, veteran guitarist and studio-owner, Charlie Tomlin, and inimitable bassist, Jerry Cameron. This project is exploring 60's style jazz fusion, soul jazz and hard-bop as well as current jazz groove groups.
