The beginning

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. My dad, Louis, played violin and loved the big bands of the forties. When I was eight, my parents signed me up for an eight-week accordion course at the Milton Mann Academy.

Afraid that my only available employment would be with Lawrence Welk—and not wanting to spend $4,000 on a professional accordion—my dad switched me to alto sax. I wasn’t really into it at first. Practice time was always a struggle between me and the folks.

That changed in middle school. My music teacher, Chalemagne Payne, sparked my passion for music. He also scared me into practicing over the summer by suggesting that a hot new sax player would be coming to school the following year. I fell for that two summers in a row.

By high school, I was living in the San Fernando Valley, surrounded by some of the great musicians in Los Angeles. I studied saxophone with Claude Lakey, Ernie Watts, Bill Greene, and Peter Christlieb, and jazz with Charlie Shoemake, Jon Nagourney, and Gary Pratt. At night, I’d head out to hear Tom Scott, Supersax, or the big bands of Buddy Rich, Count Basie, and Maynard Ferguson.

With the James Monroe High School band, I competed at jazz festivals, including Monterey, and performed at the Battle of the Bands at the Hollywood Bowl. I went on to California State University, Northridge, where I studied and played in Ladd McIntosh’s band.

Finding my sound

I had always been a bebop player, studying Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Stitt, and many others. Then, one day in a CSUN hallway, I heard a recording of David Sanborn.

“David was saying more with two notes than I could with two choruses”

I would always continue to play and study traditional jazz, but hearing Sanborn made me want to find a more emotional, soulful approach to my playing.

Playing in local wedding and “casual” bands helped me meet other musicians. I kept studying and went to every jam session I could. My first recording break came with Phil Cacayoran at Capitol Records.

I loved performing, but I also became fascinated by the precision the studio demanded—time, intonation, and getting the right sound. I moved to Hollywood because, in those days, the first musician who could get to the studio often got the session. These days, I’m usually called because a producer or artist is looking for my particular sound.

On Stage and in the Studio

That sound has taken me into some wonderful musical company. I’ve performed with Phil Collins, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Chaka Khan, Bobby Caldwell, Dionne Warwick, Johnny Hallyday, Brian Setzer, and many others.

My television work includes Dancing With The Stars, The Voice, American Idol, America’s Got Talent, and the Academy Awards, along with television themes, network promos, and commercials.

I’ve played jazz festivals in Montreal, Idyllwild, and Catalina, the Playboy Jazz Festival, and the Blue Note clubs in Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka, and Nagoya. The travels have taken me across Europe, Japan, and the Americas, from concert halls and clubs to Madison Square Garden, the Hollywood Bowl, and stages in Las Vegas. A bunch of places, you might say.

The recording sessions have been just as varied: Michael McDonald’s Wide Open, Hilary Duff’s Metamorphosis, Chicago’s Now, Barry Manilow’s The Greatest Songs of the Fifties, and projects with Bette Midler, Brian Setzer, Russ Miller, Mike Sims, and Wah. Film work has included The Addams Family, The Longest Ride, Robots, Garfield, and The Mask.

As different as the settings can be, I’m always listening for what the music needs.

Sharing the music

I bought my Yamaha soprano saxophone in 1984. That eventually led to an endorsement relationship with Yamaha and opportunities to share my experience through clinics around the world.

I enjoy working with professionals looking for a fresh perspective, players ready for the next step, and people who are just getting started. I also hosted a documentary about making saxophones at the Yamaha factory. It’s old enough now to be good for a laugh, but the fascination with how these instruments are made hasn’t gone away.

For more about the instruments I use or studying with me, visit Gear List or Lessons, Clinics, Masterclasses.

The music continues

My own recordings and productions give me another way to explore that sound. In my DJ sets, I blend a curated down tempo mix, including many of my own productions, with Sax, Flute, EWI, and Vocoder—a laid-back, late-night groove with room for soulful playing.

In an interview with Saxophone Journal, they described me as holding on to my love and passion for music, along with an easygoing, laid-back attitude. So, there.

I’m still after honest music, chops with soul, and a journey listeners will want to take again.

Did you really read this whole thing? Hey, thanks!