About
me and my music
Born, raised,
and still living in Rhode Island, my
classical piano lessons began at age 10.
My studies afforded many opportunities to
practice my craft and pursue performance
skills. For example, to help pay for
lessons, I played in Providence nightspots
and for community theater productions. I
performed in middle and high school. And,
while a student at the New England
Conservatory of Music, I formed and
directed my first rock band. After
graduation, I returned to Rhode Island,
taught general music in a Providence
middle school and formed another rock
band, Mobius, this time performing my
original compositions, infused with all
the influences of my musical knowledge
-- classical, jazz, rock and pop. At
the same time, I began teaching private
students and continue to this day. And,
after many years of looking to define my
musical voice, I returned to my roots.
My first love
and what truly defines my musical essence
is pure, free improvisation. The seeds of
my passion were sown early on, where, at
home, Ella Fitzgerald, Art Tatum, Charley
Parker, et al were constantly playing.
And, there were the powerful influences of
my beloved Grandfather who so inspired me
by creating spontaneously on his mandolin,
my Dad comping blissfully at the piano,
and Mom, with Ella-like intonation,
scatting inventively. None of them had any
formal training, but each had a superb
improvisational sense. My formal studies
were with a wonderful teacher who
demanded, along with the standard
classical repertoire, intense study of all
aspects of theory, which I voraciously
absorbed, and which served me wonderfully
at the Conservatory. Over the years, this
marriage of improvisation and formal study
gradually coalesced into my defining
style.
For many years,
I recorded my improvisations at home,
constrained by inadequate equipment, and
in various recording studios, constrained
by cost, environment and woefully
inadequate instruments. The results of
both endeavors were unsatisfactory. In
early 2000, utilizing CD burning
technology, I finally realized my
life-long dream of a reasonably priced,
state-of-the-art home studio where, on my
superb Yamaha C-3 Conservatory Grand,
properly tuned and regulated, I was able
to record my improvisations when inspired.
Since that time, I have recorded solo
piano improvisations in varying lengths
and styles.
I will be
forever indebted and grateful for all that
my Grandfather, Mom, and Dad provided, and
I feel most privileged and humbled to be
able to honor their memories with these
improvisations.
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