vary, but include Ross Martin, Jay Foote, Dave Caldwell-Mason, Tuey Connell, Jim Whitney, Dennis Lichtman, James Kerr, Aynsley Powell, Sydney Price, Hans Holzen, and more as the years go by.
Rob also plays with Elizabeth and the Catapult, Jeff Taylor, The Five Deadly Venoms, the Prigs, Hope Debates, Possum Shuffle, and Clay Ross' Matuto.
Influences
dave douglas, casey driessen, noam pikelny, chris thile, chris potter, billy contreras, darol anger, stevie wonder, ida, mark guiliana, zac caldwell, bach, hillary hahn, brittany haas, natalie haas, rushaad eggleston, jimi hendrix, andre 3000, foo fighters, bill withers, wisechild, jeff taylor, jay foote, DCM, Bela Fleck, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, Satoshi Takeishi, kenny baker, michael daves, ravel, haruki marukami, Daniel Levitin, friends and family, and chocolate(preferably dark), alan watts, osho, michael stebbins, avocados, lao-tzu, you, alan watts, joseph campbell, mark o'connor, brad mehldau, bill frisell, philip pullman
Rob is from central Illinois and has been playing fiddle for 17 years. He grew up playing bluegrass and country with father Bill Hecht (pianist, composition graduate from Berklee College of music, pastor). Mark O' Connor's Fiddle Camp and mentor Casey Driessen played a big part in Rob's development. Rob then attended Downbeat Award Winning Decatur MacArthur High School and played first tenor saxophone in their band, as well as violin and saxophone in the jazz combo. Rob also performed in the second tenor saxophone seat with the Heartland Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Doug Tidaback and Thomas Shabda Noor. Rob was whisked away to New Jersey to study Jazz Studies on Violin and Saxophone at William Paterson University. Rob studied here with David Demsey, James Williams, Don Braden, Rich DeRosa, and Mark Feldman.
Rob now resides in Brooklyn, and performs regularly with Elizabeth and the Catapult, the Five Deadly Venoms, Jeff Taylor, Clay Ross, and the Prigs. Rob has recorded/performed with Casey Driessen, Noam Pikleny, Blue Merle, Clay Ross, Elizabeth and the Catapult, Jeff Taylor, Andy Friedman, the Defibulators, James Williams, Vassar Clements, and Hans Holzen.
