George. Letting the party become
more important than the music,
your band, your friends and family
is something that did rear its ugly
head in my life. Luckily, I got out
before I suffered the same fate as
Lowell George.
fluencing me for years.
Initially, it was Stevie Ray Vaughn
for guitar. Then it was Miles Davis
in terms of uncompromising art-
istry and the ability to lead a band
by letting his band be themselves.
Carlos Santana also inspired me to
unite spirituality with music and to
What other artists inspired and give each note and phrase a pur-
influenced you, how and why?
pose and a very deep intention. To
I’m also working on another
literally send the music out into
book. My experience in learn-
the universe and let it do its good
ing about the historical course
works.
of Western music and its interac-
I’m influenced by classical com-
tion with African and Asian music posers, like Ravel, Debussy, Sa-
and the contemporary music we
tie and Prokofiev, for their sense
hear today as a result. I was fortu- of harmony and way of creating
nate enough to have some amaz- compositions that exist in a more
ing teachers: Ted Dunbar, Mat-
ambient space and a more ab-
thew Halper, Dave Stryker, Kenny stract environment. Underneath
Barron, William Fielder, Radam
everything for me is the blues:
Schwartz, Bob Rietzke, Linda
Muddy Waters, Hound Dog Taylor,
King. They inspired me to pursue Etta James, Robert Johnson, Big
music at the highest level. I later
Joe Turner. These musicians let
found out that Trey Anastasio from me know its OK to feel the way I
Phish was also a student of Ted
do, good or bad, and to express it
Dunbar. Trey had been subtly in-
through music.
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 59
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