About

A few Facts About Me:

.. I’m born in Newark/ raised in Irvington and I started playing double bass and the Black American Music also known as Jazz while attending Rutgers University, pursuing a history major/ arabic studies minor, around 2003. Fascinated with the artists that produced records for the legendary record label Smalls Records- created by the great photographer and writer Luke Kaven, whom sacrificed so much of his life to documenting the New York jazz scene that was happening at jazz hubs Smalls and the now-closed Fat Cat (which has become Cellar Dog over the years).

.. the bassists on the scene- Ben Wolfe, Neal Caine, Ari Roland and Neal Miner- helped me with the following:

• Ben Wolfe gave me my first set of gut strings- never turned back!

• Neal Caine provided the aesthetics of my particular sound of the bass: heavy gut-string warmth in the attack, no amplification, etc.

• Watching Ari Roland encouraged me to learn the subtle art of arco (jazz bowing) soloing. Fast or slow the tune, the bow is usually coming out!

• Neal Miner has been intricate in documenting most of my albums via audio/video engineering and inviting me to the record label Gut String Records.

.. legendary masters of the bass that also encouraged me are: Wilbur Ware, Jimmy Garrison and Charlie Haden.

.. no formal instruction qualifies me for the ‘autodidactic’ label, but quite frankly, the guys mentioned are artists I consider informal/formal teachers via sheer proof of positively swinging examples every night, somewhere in New York.

.. i’ve recorded seven records as a leader under the former label known as Gut String Records, created by bassist Neal Miner.

.. my most recent record is my debut as leader on the record label Steeplechase Records!