It all started when...

I grew up with music in the house all the time. My dad had a big record collection and loved to play them a lot. He listened to Big Band Jazz like Stan Kenton and Duke, small combos like MJQ, Dave Brubeck and Miles Davis but his favorite bands were the Beatles and the Stones. My mom loved classical music and I loved it all. I sung in choirs at school and wanted to play piano so I could play Saint Seine’s Carnival of the Animals and Pachebell’s Cannon. I loved Beethoven’s 5th Symphony from age 4 but really wanted to be like the Captain in Captain & Tenille. Unfortunately I was turned off piano by a cold lousy teacher. When I discovered guitar a few years later at age 15, I couldn’t get enough of it. I was into Jazz and fusion and sixties rock. With my parent’s encouragement and support I got a good teacher and have loved it ever since.  

Playing in rock bands in high school got me some experience and solidified my drive to pursue music in college. After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 1987, I toured the country performing with funk/rock bands first Shockra who played with and opened for Phish, Widespread Panic, The Spin Doctors,  the Samples and Moe, and then The Heavy Metal Horns who played the Montreal Jazz Fest in 1994 to over 40,000 people and shared stages with the likes of Little Richard, Al Jareau, Doctor John, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, G.E. Smith and Maceo Parker.

My favorite guitar players and biggest influences are Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana and Jerry Garcia for rock and for jazz Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth and Joe Pass. Miles Davis, Fela Kuti and Mozart are also big influences. 

My personal style is a crossover mixing elements from jazz, rock and world music like afro, Cuban, and east Indian. People have compared me to Garcia, Santana and Holdsworth but my overall style draws on many influences including bluegrass and space rock.

Currently I perform with local New Bedford funksters The Dancing Dogs and The Flying Dutchmen. I also have a Jazz Trio.  I have put out several CD’s with various bands and continue to compose, record and perform.