Musician willing to
explore boundaries of his
instruments including
piano,
guitar and
harmonica.
His piano playing was at the forefront of the Windham Hill record label's foray into New Age music and his piano influences include Vince Guaraldi and various Montana pianists (among others). One of his more recent releases is his tribute to Guaraldi's Peanuts tunes.
His guitar playing is predominantly of the "slack guitar" style, originating from Hawaii. Slack guitar tunes down the lowest string and is the predecessor to slide guitar. He has also been influenced by other early jazz musicians, including Larry Young.
I have little comment on his harmonica.
By his own admission, he attempts to take larger scaled musical compositions and associate parts to various fingers. This allows him to play more intricate compositions. He does this quite well.
He comes on stage in socks. Comfortable dress seems to be important to him. He is a gracious performer.
His performance on February 27, 2001, was quiet and peaceful. I enjoyed his performance.