Define your genre in five words or less:
Modern electric jazz, world, rock.
What do you love about making music?
Creating a strong groove, interlocking odd time patterns, expressing new musical ideas, playing music that is honest and true, and communicating that energy to an audience, and really challenging myself and the listener.
If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why?
It would have to be Miles Davis. He was a music trend setter and history maker and it would be interesting to get his opinion on my music, good or bad!
When’s the gig and with who?
Our next gig is at Bar 303 on Wednesday September 26 supporting Tom Fryer’s Quartet. Our ensemble features Kelly O’Donohue (trumpet), Emily Poole (bass clarinet), Jay Scarlett (trombone), Michael Mazziotta (piano), Matt Head (drums) and I’ll be playing electric bass.
How long have you been gigging and writing?
I have been writing and gigging for the past nine years. My first gig was in a local pub in a band with my dad at age 12. Prior to that I played piano for several years. Throughout high school I played in original funk rock bands as bassist and singer. I also started my own big band in high school as well, and arranged compositions for them. It was half way through high school I fell in love with jazz and improvised music, and since then I’ve been focused on developing my skills as a composer and musician, particularly through my music degree at NMIT.
Where would you like to be in five years?
New York has always been somewhere I wanted to be. I just recently came back from a month long trip there where I had the opportunity to study and hang out with some of my musical hero’s like Felix Pastorius, Panagiotis Andreou, Matt Garrison and Jason Lindner. Checking out the scene there has really given me a fresh direction and kicked me into gear. So hopefully in five years I’ll living and playing in New York!
What makes a good musician?
That’s a difficult question but I think someone who is a good listener, in every sense of the term. Whether it be to a record or their fellow musicians. Someone who can communicate feelings and ideas and someone who dedicates a large portion of their life to music entirely.
