biography

Being born in New York City into a musical household was a great start in life. My father was a saxophonist and exposed me to great music and particularly great singers at a very early age.

Attending jazz drummer Chico Hamilton's recording session at age 12 and getting to see and know the underappreciated Czech bassist Jan Arnet made me want to play and study the bass. Playing in clubs throughout high school and being "on the scene" eventually led to an audition for John Cale. Thus began my touring and recording career.

The two years that I spent with John created a springboard for future gigs with Jorma Kaukonen and Flo & Eddie and provided valuable road experience.

My association with Suzanne Vega has been the cornerstone of my career, having recorded several CD's with her including her biggest hit "Luka." It is a relationship that continues to this day and one that I am especially proud of. She is an immensely talented artist and a visionary. It is through this relationship that I've toured the world several times playing some of the most prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall in New York and The Royal Albert hall in London.

I have also made several national television appearances including Saturday Night Live, The David Letterman Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Miss Vega and I were also part of the main stage on the Lillith Fair tours and were co-billed with other female artists such as : Sarah McLachlan, Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders, Sheryl Crow, Jewel, Paula Cole,Tracy Chapman and the Indigo Girls.

In 1999 and 2000 we toured Europe playing some of the major music festivals including: The Montreux Jazz Festival, The Glastonbury Festival in England, The Pori Jazz Festival in Finland, The Werchter festival in Belgium, the Istanbul Jazz Festival, and the WOMAD festivals in The Canary Islands, Hannover, Germany and in England.

from the stage @ WOMAD

As the bassist and musical director for Curtis Stigers we toured Europe and the U.S. several times as the opening act for such luminary artists as: Rod Stewart, Prince, Joe Cocker, Mike and the Mechanics, Elton John, Bonnie Raitt,and the legendary Eric Clapton for whom we were the opener for his entire U.S. tour in 1992.

I have been fortunate to have a career as an in-demand bassist in New York and have been honored to have played and/or recorded with some amazingly talented artists.

Among them are: John Cale, Jorma Kaukonen, Flo & Eddie, Suzanne Vega, Mark Cohn, Phil Collins, Phoebe Snow, Joe Jackson, Al Green, Curtis Stigers, Mitchell Froom, Bette Midler, Richie Havens, Scottie Moore and DJ Fontana.
I've also had the privilege to work on recordings with some of the world's great producers. They include: Arif Mardin, Mitchell Froom, Tchad Blake, Hugh Padgham, Danny Kortchmar, Steve Addabo, Lenny Kaye and Rupert Hine.