About Me
I'm a professional bassist, musical director, arranger, and composer living and working in New York City. I freelance nightly with many different talented musicians around the metro area performing straight-ahead jazz, fusion, classic soul/R&B, funk, neo-soul/contemporary R&B, hip-hop, Afro-Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Caribbean, Gospel, Broadway, classic/contemporary rock, pop, blues, etc. I currently tour as bassist and musical director with Grammy-nominated Les Nubians, a sister vocal duo of French and African heritage that blends neo-soul, hip-hop, jazz, drum n' bass, and various world music styles including reggae, Afro-Cuban, samba, bossa, Afro-beat, and zouk. I'm also currently performing with as well as musically directing and arranging for several other NYC-based original artists. In addition to my nightly freelance schedule you can find me at Club Groove (W. 3rd & MacDougal St) on Mondays with my band Affirmation, featuring amazing vocalist Kenny Silk, performing classic soul, R&B, and funk, as well as every Wednesday at the same venue with guitarist/vocalist Dean Scala, John Roggie, and drummer/vocalist Josh Dion playing R&B and classic rock. This band has a very unique and diverse repertoire! I'm also the musical director of the legendary Cafe Wha? Band for private events, maintaining a busy schedule of corporate and private affairs in the NYC metro and Tri-State area. On Sunday mornings I play contemporary Gospel with a great organ trio at Girtman Memorial in Port Chester, NY............................ I studied both electric and upright bass in high school, during my active-duty enlistment in the US Army, and at the Jazz Studies program at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, SUNY. I've had the privilege of studying with John Patitucci, Todd Coolman, Leo Traversa, Lincoln Goines, Tony Cimorosi, Kip Sophos, Michael Goetz, Tony Stevenson, Jason Langley, Jay Azzolina, Jon Faddis, Slide Hampton, Benny Golson, Billy Kilson, Dave Taylor, Charles Blenzig, Pete Malinverni, John Riley, Ray Vega, and Jim Pugh, among others......................... Being a musician has afforded me the opportunity to travel all around the United States, as well as Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, Bahamas, St. Thomas, Jamaica, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Grand Cayman, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, Modeira, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy (mainland as well as Sicily & Sardegna), Malta, Greece (mainland as well as Mykonos, Santorini, and Rhodes), Croatia, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, South Korea, North Korea (I stepped over the painted line at the DMZ crossing, if that counts!), Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore......................... Besides performing internationally, I have played at venues in American cities outside NYC such as Yoshi's (San Francisco & Oakland, CA), Kuumbwa Jazz (Santa Cruz, CA), Anthology (San Diego, CA), Key Club (Los Angeles, CA), Triple Door (Seattle, WA), House of Blues (Chicago), Hot House (Chicago), Green Dolphin (Chicago), Birchmere (DC area), Bohemian Caverns (DC), Harmon Center For The Arts (DC), Smithsonian Institute (DC), Roxy (Boston, MA), BellyUp (San Diego, CA & Aspen, CO), among others, as well as prominent festivals including the UCLA Jazz Reggae Festival (Los Angeles, CA), SummerStage Central Park (NYC), Festival Mizik Jakmel (Haiti), Sandy Lane Gold Cup Festival (Barbados), African Festival of the Arts (Chicago, IL), Leaf Festival (Black Mountain, NC), Sierra Neveda World Music Festival (CA), Earthdance Festival (CA), and the National Black Arts Festival (Atlanta, GA), among others. I have perfomed at renowned venues in NYC such as the Blue Note, Ashford & Simpson’s Sugar Bar, Café Wha?, BB King's, Sweet Rhythm, Zinc Bar, Groove, Village Underground, Le Poisson Rouge, Drom, Joe's Pub, Highline Ballroom, Blender Theatre, Webster Hall, Knitting Factory, Red Lion, S.O.B.’s, Fez, NuBlu, Terra Blues, Supper Club, Cutting Room, Kavehaz, Garage, Bitter End, Lion's Den, Coda, C-Note, Don’t Tell Mama’s, Essence Bar, Prohibition, Session 73, Gonzalez Y Gonzalez, Arlene’s Grocery, CB’s Gallery, The Den, Café Creole, Wimp’s, Arthur’s Tavern, Sutra Lounge, Triad, M-1, Canal Room, Crash Mansion, Solomon's Porch, Billie's Black, Showman's, Santos Party House, The Hook, Time Cafe, National Underground, and Stitch, among others. I have shared the stage with Broadway stars at the Lamb's Theatre, Marquis Theatre, Helen Hayes Theatre, and the Tarrytown Music Hall, among others. I have performed on television on BET Jazz............................ I am proud to endorse Alleva-Coppolo Bass Guitars (www.allevacoppolo.com) and Aguilar Amplification (www.aguilaramp.com). Both of these companies started in NYC (Alleva-Coppolo recently moved to LA) and offer outstanding custom instruments and amplifiers, respectively, for dedicated performing musicians! Check out the websites for more information.............................
