About

I started my musical life early on with piano lessons from my aunt on the family farm in Wisconsin. At age seven, lessons continued in Milwaukee because the piano teacher lived upstairs in our apartment building. At 10, the trumpet came along while living on the outskirts of Green Bay. They had to bus us in to town for lessons. At 15 and in high school, I was invited to join a 10 piece R&B band, The Moses Godfrey Blues Band, and played bars and clubs throughout the Midwest. Performing at the the Iola Rock Festival in 1970 was a considerable “high” for us. After high school, I made my way to the West Coast along with some of the original group members. There we recorded a Smithsonian Blues and Folk record during a Folk/Blues Festival in Eugene Oregon, which featured blues legend Furry Lewis. Moving to New York City gave me opportunities to play in various rehearsal bands and study jazz improvisation with alto saxophonist Lee Konitz. In 1978, I received a scholarship to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and graduated with a degree in Jazz Composition and Arranging. I moved to Minneapolis where I played in local bands, written and performed music for Public Television documentaries, video productions and written and performed my own CDs. I am& currently living and playing in Northeast Wisconsin.