My life has been driven by music. It started with my father, who played piano by ear in the key of C after playing violin in the Columbia Orchestra. I often enjoyed his playing, which happened at family gatherings and parties with my parents’ friends. I think I started piano lessons when I was around 7, learning 3-part chords, and was not the greatest student. Years later, I heard the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra, which exposed me to my first taste of jazz which I loved. When I graduated high school, I began working on Wall Street selling securities, researching and writing research reports, and raising money for several companies, including one that developed indoor skydiving. But the fact was, I never loved Wall Street. It was my father’s business, and he was happy to have me follow in his footsteps, but I was not so happy. Continuing on my musical path, the next event that helped shape my love of music was when a family friend, famed composer and arranger Johnny Mandel, visited and, as he was leaving, played a complex chord on our piano that opened my mind to harmonic possibilities beyond the simple 3-part chords I had learned. Of course, I listened to lots of music, from the Beatles and James Taylor, Marvin Gaye and Earth, Wind & Fire, to Sinatra and Tony Bennett, who became my favourite singer. I also enjoyed classical music, including Satie, Ravel, and Debussy. Finally, I was living in Los Angeles and listening to the jazz station there when I heard a very interesting Cello Quartet playing a combination of jazz and classical...
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