How did you first became interest in music?
My FATHER WAS A MUSICIAN WHO PLAYED SAX, CLARINET & PIANO AND MY GODFATHER PLAYED TRUMPET. MY MOTHER SANG AND RAN A CHURCH CHOIR WITH MY DAD. MUSIC WAS ALL AROUND ME.
Who where some of your first musical influences?
THE FOLKS MENTIONED ABOVE GOT ME STARTED...I STILL HAVE MY CLARINET AND TRUMPET ( THE SAX WAS STOLEN)...EVEN HAVE A SET OF MARACAS MY DAD BROUGHT ME BACK FROM A GIG IN CUBA...
How did you become attracted to Jazz?
MY DAD HAD PLAYED WITH BIG BANDS AND THERE WERE MANY REHERSALS & SESSIONS WITH SMALL GROUPS AROUND MY HOUSE, BUT I HAD A NEIGHBOR A COUPLE YEARS OLDER THAN ME WHO PLAYED JAZZ 24/7 AND YOU COULD ALWAYS HEAR IT. I STARTED HANGIN OUT WITH HIM AND LISTENING MORE AND MORE...MONK, MILES, DIZZY, SHORTY ROGERS...GOT A HEAD FULL OF THAT STUFF... I LOVED THE FREEDOM OF IT !
Tell us about what inspired you to become a visual artist?
I AM A VERY VISUALLY ORIENTED PERSON - COLORS-SHAPES-PATTERNS-TEXTURES MOVE ME ....I ALWAYS LOVED TO TAKE PICTURES AS A KID (STILL HAVE MY 1ST CAMERA TOO) I MADE IT A HOBBY AND ALWAYS TOOK ART CLASSES IN SCHOOL AND THE MILTITARY STARTED ME WITH MY FORMAL TRAINING...A FORMER BOSS TAUGHT ME HOW TO "MAKE" PICUTRES AND THE REST IS SORT OF HISTORY...
What would be your most favorite top Jazz 10 recordings of all times?
IMPOSSIBLE TO ANSWER, BUT I CAN NAME SOME ARTISTS THAT HAVE HIT ME HARD: MILES (SKETCHES IN SPAIN), HERBIE HANCOCK ("MAIDEN VOYAGE", MONK ( "SOLO MONK" WAS I THINK THE 1ST ALBUM I BOUGHT ON MY OWN), WAYNE SHORTER, CHICK COREA, SHORTY ROGERS ("VOODOO SUITE"),BILL EVANS, DON SEBESKY, FREDDIE HUBBARD , SONNY ROLLINS...THE BEAT GOES ON...I AM AN ECLECTIC PERSON AND THERE IS JUST TOO MUCH TALENT AND MUSIC TO ABSORB, SO I TRY TO APPRECIATE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.. I LOVE IT ALL ( NO KENNY G. THOUGH!)
Just before you're going on stage for a performance, what is going through your mind?
GETTING TO THE GIG ON TIME ! I TRY TO EMPTY MY MIND SO THE MUSIC HAS A CHANCE TO FLOW....WHEN I'M LUCKY IT WORKS.....
What is it about your music that you want your audience to understand after a performance?
FREEDOM.
What is the most inspiring thing that you find in the visual arts as it relates to Jazz?
A COUPLE FRIENDS WHO ARE AWESOME PAINTERS (I ALWAYS WANTED TO PAINT) MY OWN ABILITY TO FREEZE "BRIGHT MOMENTS" (THE NAME OF MY PHOTO SERIES) OF LIVE PERFORMANCES WITHOUT A FLASH...IT'S SORT OF LIKE ACTUALLY PLAYING AND KNOWING WHERE TO COME IN OR OUT ON YOUR SOLO...I GET A REAL TRIP OUT OF THAT! ALL MY SERIES IMAGES ARE BLACK & WHITE WHICH AVOIDS THE GLITZ OF COLOR AND FOCUSES ON THE TALENT IN FRONT OF ME...HERMAN LEONARD'S WORK AS A PHOTOGRAPHER HAS IMPRESSED ME AND HE HAS ALSO ENCOURAGED ME TO PURSUE MY OWN APPROACH.
What is your best advice to young inspiring musicians that want to persue a career as a performing artist?
DEVELOP A VERY SHARP BUSINESS MIND ALONG WITH YOUR MUSIC OR OTHER CREATIVE SKILLS ! THE RAPIDLY CHANGING BUSINESS PARADIGMS MAKE IT ESSENTIAL TO YOUR SURVIVAL! THE CREATIVE PART IS MORE ABOUT LOVE.
