What is your sound and approach to music?

I believe in being organic. What this means is that while I understand structure, I don’t want to let it limit my creative approach. Sometimes the lyric come first and have to wait for a melody that makes sense. Sometimes it all happens when I am at the keyboard or guitar. Chords inspire melody, melody inspires a mood which births a lyric.

The first album I bought was?

It was Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life” It was a 2 record set, that included a something extra disc. I was like 7 or 8 and it was my own money lol. . . from cutting the grass or something.

I knew I wanted to be a musician and producer when…

I knew when I realized, I understood how to hear an entire piece from beginning to end, and that I could envision each instrument in the studio playing its part.

Who were your music teachers or artist that influenced you when you grew up?

I had an older brother Kim, who was very much a hippie. He was a lot older than me, and he introduced me to the music of James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Parliament Funkadelic and Bob Marley. I used to sit up with him into the midnight hours, listening to diverse recording artists. Then, I would go to my father’s church on Sunday and be steeped in the music of the black church.

What would you say is your teaching approach?

I teach based on finding the music in each person, and relating to them on that level first. It is the humanity that I find music opens up. You get that first, then the subject matter becomes a lot easier to manage.

Your dream band, who would they be?

Prince on guitar, Stevie Wonder vocals, Herbie Hancock on keys, Marcus Miller on bass,

Do you have a good road or in-studio story?

I was just a kid when I first met Chaka Khan. She was recording in Pasadena California at Studio 54 during her downtime with Warner Bros. She was recording a Joni Mitchell song called “Hissing of Summer Lawns” and Dale Kimberlin, my producer at the time asked me to go in and check Chaka’s vocal mic. I sang a few lines, and she said, “oooh that boy can sing!” Later, she and I would have quite a few jam sessions, she played drums and I played piano.

What is your favorite recording studio you worked in?

There was something magical about Capital records. I was working on a record for Barry White’s guitar player the first time I was there, and I felt at 19 or 20 that I had arrived. Hollywood Sound was magical as well. Oh, and Mbilia Recording studios. I don’t know if it is still there, but I remember recording “Let Them Know We Care” with Dionne Warwick. I was not even scheduled for the session, I was there meeting with owner, and again, blessed to just be in the right place at the right time. I walked, in, was asked if I was one of the singers, I said, uh, yes I sing, signed a waiver, and the next thing you know, I am in the middle of this huge “We Are the World” type recording session, with all of these fabulous young artists, Rahsaan Patterson, Martika, Corey Haim, and here I am like 17 years old, right in the mix.

Any specific venues that you enjoyed performing in?

I have been fortunate to play BB Kings, The Whiskey, The Coach House, the Key Club, the Viper Room, as well as opening on larger stages as an opening act such venues as the Hollywood Bowl.

Your favorite recording in your own discography?

This is probably the toughest question for me since I am constantly writing and exploring different styles of music. Each song is like a child you birth. From my recent recordings, “Out of Time” because in some way, I think I accurately capture a 70’s style sound of soul not heard so much, where it is a story of troubled love, with a hint of hope in the end. Or “Shades of Gray” maybe, or “The Universe,” because they center on the lost art of lyricism, which I feel is really missing in today’s popular music.

What do you think is the most important thing you are contributing musically?

Hopefulness. There is a real need for that given the current state of the music industry.

Did you know…?

I studied Comparative Literature in college, and have operated as a small business person since I was in my early 20’s.

Music you are listening to now

1. Kendrick Lamar – “To Pimp a Butterfly”
2. D’Angelo – “Black Messiah”
3. James Taylor – “Before This World”

What are your desert song picks

1. Stevie Wonder – “Innervisions”
2. Sting – “Greatest Hits”
3. Sly Stone – “There’s a Riot Going On”
4. Jimi Hendrix – “Are You Experienced”
5. Joni Mitchell – “The Hissing of Summer Lawns”

How would you describe the state of music, Soul, Funk and Jazz genres today?

The Industry itself seems like a broken system. Hope? The listener!

Tell me a little about any special event that you felt good about that you were involved with this past summer?

I have always been involved in social awareness, and this summer I was happy to do some pro bono work for El Jardín de los Sueños, a nature preserve in the rain forests of Ecuador.

What are some of the essential requirements you believe to keep pop, jazz, soul music, and well-written music alive and growing today?

Artists have to be allowed to create beyond the formula. New blood, new ideas, new influences are urgently important to keep music vibrant.

What is your greatest fear when you perform?

I don’t really have any fears of performing live. I love it. If I feared anything, it would be not giving the audience my best.

What is your favorite song to whistle or sing in the shower or around the house?

Pharrell’s “Happy” (did I just admit that?)

By Day… what do you do?

I have a number of business interests that I am involved in, so I spend a lot of time on the phone and in meetings, but I am excited to say music flows through it all.

If I weren’t a musician, I would… hmmm. . . I would probably teach, and write full time, and paint.