I started out being strongly influenced by Pink Floyd and Alan Parsons.  Classical music influences are from Dmitri Shostakovicha and George Gershwin (I still can barely play Rhapsody in Blue).  Recently--and I find this hard to believe myself--I have been admiring the creative talent of Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails). 

Like so many pianists, most of my experience was playing solo until the early 1990s when I met a great bunch of guys in LA who were former professional rock players.  They invited me to learn to play ensemble with them and my whole experience was elevated to a new level of joy.  We would jam and record in the studio and played odd gigs here and there.  To me, the jamming was the best.  What a fantastic rush it was when the music all came together so spontaneously!  I sure wish we had turned on the recording machines for those sessions, but we never did.  We have been playing (on and off) covers and original music now for nearly 18 years!  Now, I have moved and am back to solo (for the time being). 

My current efforts are focused on composing, arranging and mixing/mastering in my new studio.  I have a Yamaha Motif XS workstation, a Kurzweil PC88, a rack of vintage synths and other obsolete gear, and I use Cubase as my DAW (both Windows and Mac).  I am seriously considering moving to the Apple Logic platform.  I have to confess that I am still in "learning mode" and spend a lot of time just figuring out how to make all the equipment come together to produce some good sonic candy.

 I also do some video work based on combining music with still photography that I animate and enhance with SFX.  I use Final Cut and will soon publish some of my work on a new website.  I am currently doing a series on graffiti.  Stay tuned... 

To all my fellow musicians... keep bringing your gifts to the world.  I am in utter awe of the talent out there that never gets recognized.  I hope I get the chance to collaborate with some of you.