Bio

Although I was surrounded by a diverse and wonderful musical landscape as a child, I did not get exposed to much jazz or modern music until college. Before moving to Boston in the fall of 2000, I lived in the San Jose Bay Area, and I have many fond memories of the first few waves of alternative rock. I was also fortunate enough to hear a wide variety of pop, classic rock, classical music, and various aural oddities through my parents and their friends. Nonetheless, when I graduated from high school and enrolled at Boston's Berklee College of Music, I was exposed to a much broader musical universe than I had ever suspected I would find. I moved back east shortly after hearing Miles and Herbie and a few other great players for the first time (through my earliest jazz guitar instructor), but the vibrant scene that I found surrounding Berklee was truly overwhelming. I had never before encountered so many people, let alone young people, who were so dedicated to and enthusiastic about music. I had never before known kids who worshipped Chic Corea and Wayne Shorter the way that, in my childhood, my friends and I had worshipped the rock personalities that we encountered on the FM dial. I was truly grateful to be in such a stimulating environment. In 2002, I relocated to Portland, OR, and have been living, playing, writing, and teaching here ever since. I graduated from PSU in 2006 (Jazz Guitar Performance degree w/ Philosophy Minor), and since then, have been keeping busy with a wide variety of progressive projects.