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At age of eight: Private study with my elementary school teacher, a graduate of the Navy School of Music. Ms. Diana McKnight taught me most of the basic rudiments, the reading of musical notation(Bellwin Band Builder series) for snare drum and percussion techniques(bongos, claves, maracas etc.)emphasing 'latin' percussion rhythms. She introduced me to improvisation, by having me begin and play out the end of ¨Farwell Jamaica¨ as improv for bongos. I sang and played in the chorus ...not aware of the dificulty of how doing both at the same time. The excellence of her musical program for this elementary school band and chorus were recognized, when the Prince Georges Country Board of Education requested we perform before them. Ms.K. introduced me to what was then called ethnic, later "world" music, by letting me borrow her collection of recordings of music from around the world; as I recall, this was the Life magazine series, sort like field recordings.

At the age of 10: I accepted an invitation to attended P.G. County's summer music enrichment program. We traveled to Atlantic City in order to perform for a large convention of the Lions Club of America. In 1969: Began "serious", private, study with Leonard Cuddy (Senior Officer, drummer with U.S. Navy Big Band, The Commodores). Mr. Cuddy, longtime member of the National Association of Rudimental Drummers, to assuming the Big Band chair, had been responsible for creating drum cadences for the drum core of the U.S. Navy Marching Band. He taught me the 13 basic rudiments, plus a few of the other 13 and some of the Scottish. He took me through the N.A.R.D. book, emphasizing my learning many the standard rudimental snare drum solos,¨Hell On The Wabash¨, ¨The Downfall of Paris¨, etc. I practiced rudiments and solos by playing along with a cassette of Frank Arsenault, rudimental champion. Also, with Mr. Cuddy, began study of concert snare drum, ..latin.. dance rhythms for drumset(cha cha, samba, merengue, etc.) chart reading for drumset.

I began my first paying job, as an instructor for the Morningside Maryland Drums Corps. I continued school band performance at Crossland High School, in both the concert and marching band. A year into high school, I began my first serious paying work at Ernie Messina..s Dinner Theatre, formerly located downstairs in The Voyager Restaurant, across from Andrews Air Force Base. 1972: Prepatory to college, I began study with Paul Edgar, former tympanist/Principal percussionist with the U.S. Navy Concert Band. For two years I studied marimba, tympani, multiple, i.e. concert percussion ...the whole family. I was introduced to co-ordinated independence, Jim Chapin..s book for jazz drumset; thus polyrhythms. I was introduced to Afro-Brazilian rhythms and progressive jazz, or, at that time, Jazz-Rock. Odd meters, 5/4 7/8 11/8, etc., began a lot of interest, thus I began listening to King Crimson, Mahavishnu, Oregon with Collin Wallcott and Airto Moreira. Through Mr. Edgar, I was able to perform as percussionist with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, Leon Fleisher conducting.

As a member of Blue Horizon, a jazz-rock, originals band, I performed on WGTB FM, Georgetown University radio..s Take One show. We were the Sunday night ¨house band¨ at the Museum of Temporary Art, Washington D.C. At the Saratoga Dinner Theatre, Annapolis Road MD., I performed for productions of the classic Broadway plays, Guys and Dolls and Oklahoma.

1974: I began study at the University of Maryland with Professor Ronald Barnett, majoring in applied performance. Here I began advanced study in music theory, tympani, percussion for the concert hall and mallet keyboards, to be specific, vibraphone and marimba, which lead to my dedicating the most of 1977 entirely to the formal study of jazz/improviastion for the vibraphone(Thank you to Norfolk, Virginia's Jimmy Barber ...exceptional jazz vibist/drummer). At U. of M. ensemble performances in percussion ens., Concert Band, Jazz ens., Non-western ens.= Balineses Gamelan, Symphony Orchestra(performed the premiere of ¨Parables¨ with composer, Vincent Ludwig Persichetti, conducting). At this time I worked with and recorded for the Children..s Library Theatre and The Montgomery County Children..s Ballet. Multi-percussionist work now took me to ¨The Area..s First and Finest¨, Burn Brae Dinner Theater, Columbia, Maryland and it..s production of the Broadway musical, later movie, ¨1776.¨ During this time I also played in the Top 40, agency band, Confunktion.

I enrolled in ¨the school of hardknocks¨, performing on the road with ¨The Circus Kingdom¨, a church funded circus troupe. After about a month of the Kingdoms road outfit, I assumed the full-time position, in the band at The Three Musketeer..s Theater, Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, VA. At first it was 10, later 8, shows a day of marches, Dixieland, pop and showtunes. Near the end of my stay, to get experience with German band ¨oom-pah¨, I switched chairs with the drummer from over in the Festhaus. During my months at the Busch, I was musical director for a production of ¨The Fantastiks.¨From Williamsburg, relocated to Norfolk, VA for advanced study of improvisation for vibraphone. While there, performed with Joe Cabella Comobo, playing standard ¨ballroom dance music¨ (foxtrot, waltz, tango, disco, etc.) for students, at their studio dance parties. The following year I went on the road to Florida, playing the hotels around Disney World, in the 50s show/dance band ...Clutch. I did a lot of vocal harmonizing with this group. We didn't a stint on for Royal Caribbean Cruises, and though high-paying, found it to be a bit monotonous__too much waiting around just to perform abbreviated sets...just one part of a smorgasbord of entertainers. This was years ago, hopefully they organize the performances differently now.

In 1979 I returned to the Washington D.C. area where I took classes at the House of Musical Traditions, Takoma Park, MD, in Middle Eastern(dumbek / darbouka) and Celtic rhythms(bodhran). On the improvisational side, along with some former members of Blue Horizons, I was invited to play for modern dance classes, at Glen Echo Park. Former teacher, Paul Edgar, arranged for me to perform with the Alexandria Symphony for two of its seasons. I became a sort of ¨artist in residence¨, performing with Ron Elliston's student group at thu University of Maryland. I did this while, though not a student, I performed in the University of Maryland big band, conducted by Dr. George Ross. I had the pleasure of performing with some world-class players, a few friends of Dr. Ross, he..d arranged to have perform with the band: Clifford Jordan, Illinois Jacquet and Ron Carter. In 1979, I started gigging with Kenny Definis; A top-flight jazz/blues/R&B guitarist who'd first heard me a couple years before, when I was doing some fill-in nights at Bill Harris's "Pig Foot", restraunt/nightclub. Kenny was a regular guitarist/accompanist to Bill, at his place.

I have now moved on to numerous musical pathways: Sixpence, a top flight Bar/batmitzvah and Wedding band. The Uptown Rhythm Kings, one of the few jump blues band extent in 1988, see the youtube clips of U.R.K., from the national television broadcast. We also appeared on NPR..s Mountain Stage, Lonesome Pine Special.
View youtube clips.. HERE..
and Blues Stage, Ruth Brown hosting. On this session we also were the backing band for Roscoe Gordon. Stage Kathy Martin and The Hot Rods Show Band. Tim Eyerman with Kenny Definis Band playing jazz and blues.
View youtube clips ..HERE...
I spent a few years, from 1982 to 1990, in The Surf Club house band, playing the ¨real deal¨, country honky music of the 40s - 80s, five (late six) nights a week, with ¨big¨ and ¨little¨ Chick, as well as Chris Hall. That was the second Surf Club locaton, Kenilworth Ave., in Bladensburg, MD. During those years, due to Mr. Hall's understanding( he was a professional musician/club owner), I was regularly allowed to "step out", so I was still able to moonlight on weeknights and weekends with a few other bands. The drummer from the other weeknights filled in for me, thus, I was also performing with: The James Brothers, western swing band. On Sunday nites it was Bruce Ewan's and the Solid Senders, playing Chicago blues at The Wharf, in Alexandria, VA. Monday nites I worked in the house band at Manny's, playing R&B, Rock and Roll, blues, swing, country (you name it, we shamed it) with Darryl Davis, piano; Joe Stanley, Teddy Enfantis and Del Pushert on tenor saxes. Tuesday nights I was playing in a duo at Georgetown's drinking hole, The Grog and Tankard, with a master of 1930s "country", delta, and early Chicago blues, Ben Andrews.
View youtube clips ..HERE ...

From 1997 to about 2000 I sang and played with the s local blues band whose later name became The Meteors. The repetoire was a LOT of classic Chicago blues, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and a the songs of few dozen more legends. If the was the artist was recording in "Chi town" between 1947 and 1958, some his music was most likely part of the rep. Thank you, Chess Records, et al.
There's a clip at youtube .. HERE...

For a couple of years, I was the drummer the local membership of The Cambridge Harmonica Orchestra. Our best show, other than the grand hall of the Kennedy Center, had to have been when we performed for a few thousand people at Adams Morgan Day. Pierre Beauregard, coming down to D.C. and whipping the orchestra into shape, on his arrangements __all in about one hour's worth of rehearsal, made that performance exceptional. Pierre is brilliant!

About this same time I went ¨back to the country¨, performing with The Atomic Hillbillies, houseband at the longstanding, J.V.....s, in Fall Church..s Jefferson Village shopping center.
It was along about this same time that I sang in the choir at the Unitarian Universalist Church, here in Arlington. The secular music, from around the world was no less challenging the sacred, let alone, singing early on Sundays mornings, when, just a few hours before, I might have been wailing blues in some smoke bar.

I now play drums and various percussion in The Alexandria Kleztet, a multiple Washington Area Music Awards winner
View our Kennedy Center performance of three years ago .. HERE...
With The Satin Doll trio, "Plus One" is my stage name, because I'm performing as extension of the trio's format. performing, almost exclusively, on brushes and I love it because I'm finally able to fully apply what I began studying, some 30 years ago, with Mike Smith(see "Motility" Steve Kuhn's ECM Records recording[many was the night when I snuck into Harold's Rogue and Jar to watch/listen to Mike on drums/percussion with Terri Plumeri's band ...the musical approaches of ECM drummer/percussionists' have for decades been my favorite]) The Satin Doll Trio was The Carlyle Club house band for about a year. The Carlyle Club, here in Alexandria, on John Carlyle Street, is very swank supperclub in the tradition of the 1930-40s. Check the calendar for all the other great acts : http://thecarlyleclub.com/
For the Satin Doll's schedule, please visit their site, at www.satindolltrio.com .. ..

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