I was exposed to a variety of music when I was very young, thanks to my father having an extensive and diverse record collection (classical to jazz and everything in between).  He owned a high end tube (not solid state) component stereo system connected to two large vintage Electro-Voice speaker cabinets that was prominently featured in the living room of our home (much to my Mother’s chagrin).   My father often played those records when he was not at work, and the music filled the house like the aroma of a deliciously prepared meal.

 

I first became “aware” of the guitar when I first heard the Beatles — honorable mention to the Banana Splits.  I was five years old.  However, before I started learning the guitar, I first took up the trumpet which I continued playing through high school.  I began guitar lessons at age 10  with a rented acoustic from my first and only guitar teacher, Mel Rizzuto.  Mel was my mentor throughout my childhood up until I left for college.  He was a very talented jazz guitarist in the style of Joe Pass.  Thus, I was “formally” taught how to play the guitar.  After a while, my parents were able to borrow an inexpensive Vox electric guitar and small Gibson amplifier from a neighbor whose son could no longer play due to an unfortunate gardening accident.

 

After a few years, I gained some proficiency on the guitar.  My early influences were the usual suspects, including Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, and Peter Frampton.  Many hours were spent listening to records over and over again, trying to learn guitar parts note for note.  However, the first time a guitarist really opened my mind as to what a guitar could sound like was when I saw Roy Buchanan on the TV show, Soundstage.  The next day, I went to the record store and bought Roy Buchanan’s, Loading Zone album, and absorbed every note on that record.  

 

Of course, after seeing Roy Buchanan, I immediately wanted a Fender Telecaster and convinced my father that I needed to upgrade from the Vox.  So my father and I went to Star Music, a music store recommended by Mel, to get my first “real” guitar.  Now my father, being a chemical engineer, was stereotypically prone to being on the conservative side.  However, when he saw a Gibson Flying V hanging from the wall at Star Music, he was convinced that was the guitar I should have.  Neither of us had ever seen a guitar like that, and it was truly a sight to behold.  So, I left the store, a proud owner of a Flying V.  It was only later that a friend told me that the guitarist from Kiss played a Flying V, which suddenly made me very self-conscious about owning that guitar.  A few years later, I did purchase a Telecaster.

 

In high school, I was introduced to jazz-fusion music through classmates James Arnay and Dan Cubert, two musicians I started jamming with.  This form of music was popular at this time in the 70's.  It started with John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra.  Listening to that band for the first time was a pivotal moment in my development.   We also listened to Return to Forever, Gentle Giant, Hatfield and the North, Larry Coryell, Al Dimeola. Steve Hillage, and Jeff Beck, among others.  I also had the great fortune of hearing guitarist David Torn, who was unknown at the time, and playing with Arnay's older brother's band, the Zobo Funn Band.  

 

Another pivotal moment for me was when I heard Allan Holdsworth for the first time on Gong’s album, Expresso.  It was like someone had discovered a completely new approach to guitar playing and music in general.  I subsequently scoured record stores buying whatever albums Holdsworth was playing on.  Those included such musically diverse albums by Soft Machine, Tempest, Tony Williams, Jean Luc Ponty, Bill Bruford, and U.K.  

 

While still in high school, in order to prove to my parents that I was serious about pursuing my guitar studies, I auditioned for and was selected to play in, the New Jersey All State Jazz Band and the McDonalds Tri-State Jazz Band. During this time, I was obsessed with scales and would chart out all the modes for any particular scale.  In fact my nickname became "Mode Man."   

 

In college, I continued my music studies and played in various bands, including the reformed 60's group The Ravens.

 

After graduating college in 1983 and playing in different bands for a few years, I hit another pivotal moment in my musical development.  A member of a band I was in loaned me his Teac 4-Track cassette recorder. Discovering the world of multi-track recording was like discovering music all over again.  The possibilities were endless.  I spent several years learning the craft of songwriting, audio recording, arranging, producing and eventually acquired enough equipment to open my own recording studio.  I was writing, recording, producing and playing not only my own music, but also working on recordings with other musicians as well.  This led to me being featured in Guitar Player magazine in April, 1986, and Guitar World Magazine’s July, 1990, 10th Anniversary issue.  

 

During this time, I was also teaching guitar privately to students of all levels, as well as serving as Adjunct Professor of Guitar Studies at Seton Hall.  One of my songs was publicly released for the first time on Westwood Music Records on a CD called, Welcome to New Jersey.  You can hear “Free” on my music sample page. "Lost Tonite,” was another single released by Human Interest that received airplay on the North Jersey rock station WDHA.  After receiving some interest from some management in New York about recording a modern jazz record, my co-writer, Dan Cubert and I, put together a demo of songs to be shopped around.  Some of those tracks are on my music sample page.    

 

After I moved to California in the early 90's, I continued to play in several bands.  Two worth noting are Kaptain Krunch and N-Cognito.  Kaptain Krunch released a single called “Roam” on Casual Tonality Records, and N’Cognito independently released a CD.  Samples from each band are on my music sample page. 

 

I am currently, and have been, involved in several studio projects, samples of which can also be found on the sample page.  These projects include Drawing Amps, Holiday Meat and Mob Prophets