He was born in Lompolc, CA to jazz musician parents. He has lived in Nashville, TN, San Antonio and Austin, TX, San Francisco and Oakland CA, among other locales. As a youngster, he was influenced by hard rock and speed metal. He later became interested in avant-garde jazz and post war classical composition. His first CD, Control And Resistance, was released to excellent reviews on Cuneiform Records in 2000. He has resided in NYC since 1992.