I'm a jazz and commercial musician living in the city of New York. Originally from Old Orchard Beach, Maine, I went to college in Boston at the Berklee College of Music in the mid 80's and am currently exploring ways and means to acquire my Master’s Degree in music education.

My jazz groups have played throughout the New York metropolitan area at a number of clubs.  The list is a little long to enumerate but one highlight was having the house gig at the old Village Gate and having the opportunity to open up for the likes of George Coleman and Jimmy Cobb, amongst others. 

Popular music credits include The Doors (aka D21C) for VH1 Classic's "Decades Rock Live", The Temptations, performances and a recording credit on the CD “Coelacanth” with George Hrab and The Geologic Orchestra and many festival and Atlantic City gigs with the Philadelphia Funk Authority.  In the last few years I fulfilled a boyhood dream by having the privilege of playing in a competitive drum and bugle corps (the Syracuse Brigadiers from Syracuse, New York). It was a great thrill and helped deepen my interest in music education.

Welcome to mellobrass.net!

I also hope that this site will be a place where the musician, non-musician or casual listener can find a few challenging ideas in the Essays section regarding the current musical culture wars from a participant.  Four of the six essays are, in essence, an editorial comment on the state of the subject in question.   The other two focus more on providing objective information (to the degree, of course, that I can be objective).

Lastly, for a more day-to-day and candid reaction to that blue, spinning orb with the really silly sentient beings on the surface we like to call planet Earth feel free to check out my blog.

Interests

My life is music and my interests therein are jazz, musicology, brass technique, theory and composition, music education, aesthetics, that rare phenomenon I like to call "good commercial music" and the obscure subculture of drum and bugle corps.

Outside of the musical I get all worked up about politics and current events, astronomy, cosmology, science vs. religion (I'm on the side of science), long distance running, zen, psychology, history, the current state of film, the devious industries that surround the arts, sports as morality play and the ups, downs and occasional sideways motions of the amazin' New York Mets. 

My e-mail address: