In the manner of many musicians my musical journey began with years and years of piano lessons at my mother’s insistence, and the odd Piano Festival performance. In Jr. High I embraced the trumpet; a ticket into the wonderful world of Stage Band music in High School and some Engineering Week hijinks in university. There was also singing- lots and lots of singing: tenor, baritone, and then bass in numerous choirs and the odd octet.
At some point the bass itself became the instrument of choice; it seemed only natural to start playing all the wonderful bass lines bouncing around in my head. After a few years of electric bass it became essential to transition to the upright, the jazz enthusiast’s bass platform of choice, and in 2013 I ponied up for an upright.
As a bassist I have been extremely fortunate to work with many different local artists and instructors and I perform regularly in Edmonton and area. Past groups include the Edmonton Philharmonic Orchestra, Nova Musica Orchestra, the Wye Strings Ensemble, Joyspring, the Cosmopolitan Big Band, and the Barefoot Big Band. As of spring 2023 I’m a member of the Capital City Big Band, McEwan University’s Conservatory Big Band, sax/guitar/bass trio "The Jazz Cats", and am a founding member of vocal/keys/bass trio All4Jazz.
Over the last 10 years I've had the distinct honour of being coached by a Canadian Who's-Who of professional bassists including Rene Worst, Kurt Cesla, Thom Golub, Rubim de Toleto, Josh McHan, Jan Urke, and Aretha Tillotson… heaven help them all. Conductors/Music Directors Bill Dimmer, Dale Chapman, Murray Vaasjo, J.F. Picard and Dan Davis figure prominently in terms of how I play with others, which at the end of the day is what music is all about.