I started playing the trumpet in the third grade.  My chances of being a child prodigy were short-lived since I promptly quit playing the trumpet after two years.  I had a real dislike of my first trumpet teacher (who’s name has been omitted to protect the “innocent”).  I had heard that he made one student cry (wasn’t me I swear)!

I didn’t pick up my horn again until I started listening to jazz when I was in high school.  My younger brother, who had managed to make it through the music program offered by our school system, introduced me to the jazz greats, and I was hooked.

I loved to listen to the music...  I’d listen with friends for hours, trying to memorize the highlights of each jazz solo.  We would frequent jazz clubs in Manhattan making the 30-minute drive into the Village to hear the likes of Woody Shaw, the Brecker Brothers, and Freddie Hubbard to name a few.  Despite my love of the music, I didn’t like to practice and I didn’t receive a strong foundation in the fundamentals.  Yet, I applied to music school and did manage to get in....  Continue reading on About Me page.