For those us not hip tell us a little bit about your playing history?
I’m trained and I self taught myself somethings I never would have learned in school. I play both electric and upright. I play all styles of music. I’ve played rock with Santana and Corey Glover. R n B with Stephanie Mills and Bobby Caldwell. Jazz with Dean Brown. Bop with Jane Sieberry, Kelis and Paul Simon. World Music with Angelique Kidjo and Lila Downs. I also played on the soundtrack to the film, “Cowboy Bebop”

What are you doing presently?
I just finished a new record with Tomas Doncker which I co-wrote a song. There is a Broadway show in previews that I played on the soundtrack called ‘The 12″ .

What are your views on the future of music?
You have to be able to play. CD’s are basically free on the internet now so live playing is where it’s at.

What do you feel the role of education is in regards to music?
Young musicians are interested in playing again. We lost an entire generations in the 80’s to computers and sequencers. I took a lot of gigs that should have gone to younger players who just weren’t around.

You are one of the earliest endorsees for R. Cocco. Why do you use R. Cocco strings?
They sound sweet from begining to end. I use to change strings every 3 to 4 days. With Cocco’s I can change them every 3 to 4 weeks (unless i’m on tour) I use them for live as well as recording. These strings are like when a saxophone player gets a good reed. He just plays it to the bitter end. These strings are a big part of my sound.