M y
A d v e n t u r e -
Passionate about music . . . . .
- ( Just a quick brief overview ) -
My adventure in music began when I was about 9 years old ( 4th grade ). A music teacher by the name of Bob Horavath ( Trumpet player who lived in Romeoville IL ) asked me if I wanted to take drum lessons and I said yes. We did lessons in the hall way of our school because there was no band room. We became great friends and I hung out with him every day.
He encouraged me to take lessons from various teachers including those at Bill Mueller's Drum Studio in Joliet IL. . . . In Jr. High School ( 7th/8th grade ) I started marching with the band and also with a local Drum Corps called the "Men Of Brass". . .That was also around the first time I went to a Buddy Rich concert which was amazing. . I continued marching in the Romeoville High School Band and then joined a different Drum Corps called the " Guardsmen Drum And Bugle Corps " where I got to march in the Drum Corps International Finals which aired on television. . . Around that time Maynard Ferguson ( trumpet player ) performed at our High School and I got to meet many members of the band which was also amazing. . Later I tried out for the "All State Concert and Jazz Bands". . I made both but could only perform with one because their shows were on the same night so I played with the concert band because I was diggin' their music. I then attended Joliet Jr. College and continued studying music. . While their I received an "Outstanding Soloist Award" at the Elmhurst Jazz Festival.
After college I started recording in the studio and played with several ensembles that toured the States. I also played on the " Spirit Of Chicago " cruise ship at Navy Pier . . At that time I also started teaching privately when I had the chance.
While in the Chicago area I got an offer to tour with the "John Watkins Group " from Chicago . . . I played with John for a few years and then was offered to tour the world with the " Joanna Conner Band ". . . . I did several of Joanna's CD's and while in Europe I got to play with Screamin' Jay Hawkins and perform and record with blues artist Luther Allison who lived in Paris at the time.
After the Joanna Conner Band I got an offer to play in Vegas . . I went to Las Vegas and played out there for about a year and then got another offer to tour the world with an act that was coming down from Canada. . I started touring with " Wild T And The Spirit ".
We had our own tour bus and started touring with many act's such as Deep Purple. Blue Oyster Cult, Nazareth, Survivor, Yngwie Malmsteen and many others.
After being on the road for many many years I decided to come back to Chicago and started playing for the "High Society Orchestra ". . . I also play with various groups around the Chicago land area and started teaching again.
I've recorded on many many albums and currently working on about 5 original CD solo projects and the journey's not over yet . . . .
to be continued . . . . . .
My influences are - Buddy Rich. Steve Gadd, Billy Cobham, Peter Erskine, Bill Bruford, John Bonham, Maynard Ferguson, The Jazz Crusaders, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Gentle Giant, Jean Luc Ponty, David Garibaldi and Tower Of Power, Bernard Herrmann, Tchaikovsky, Aaron Copland. John Williams, James Newton Howard, John Powell, Bruce Broughton, Chuck Mangione, Pat Metheny, Dave Weckl, Art Blakey, Dave Brubeck, Omar Hakim, The Beatles, Bob Marley, Santana, Drum and Bugle Corps, Tito Puente, Irakere, Don Ellis, Pink Floyd, The band "UK", Frank Zappa, Tony Williams, Neil Peart, Billy Higgins, William Kennedy, Gino Vannelli, Micheal Gregory Jackson, Phil Collins and Genisis, Peter Gabriel . . . and many many others . . .
