Session Musician and Producer

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: I do not know anyone else on SoundBetter...yet!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I like being able to create on a regular basis and bring more art into the world using my skills as a musician and artist. I also like assisting others in achieving their creative visions.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: If you have a clear vision of what you want for your project you will get the best results!

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: Recently I recorded piano, organ, and saxophone for several tracks for singer Rana Farhan's latest album (due out in May!). I recorded all the instruments using my home studio setup and they came out really great. Rana and her producer loved the work and I'm featured on 8 out of the 10 tracks on the album.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am working on releasing two new albums of material. Both duo recordings that I recorded myself. One is a drum/sax duo album of free jazz music, and the other is a sax/piano album of original jazz compositions, and I play both instruments! I'm also working on an orchestral piece that features vibraphone and alto saxophone.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I'm digital all the way in terms of what I'm working with for recording. I don't know, it just happened that way!

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: I promise that you'll get high quality work done in a reasonable amount of time.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: Q: How should I send you audio files? A: Google Drive, Dropbox are preferred. Q: What is your expected turn around time for completing the project? A: I usually can turn things around in a week or less, depending on the size and scope of the project.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: I think that sometimes there is a misconception that since I play the saxophone, I'm only able to play or compose jazz music. I have a much broader palette of music that I draw from and inspired by.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: How would you like audio files sent/shared? Do you want me to provide mixing/effects on sax? What DAW do you use (if any)?

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I've been performing and recording in a variety of contexts with both saxophone and piano since my high school years. Over the past two years, I've gotten more serious about building a home studio and delving more into the world of DAWs and recording gear.

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: Recently I recorded piano, organ, and saxophone for several tracks for singer Rana Farhan's latest album (due out in May!). I recorded all the instruments using my home studio setup and they came out really great. Rana and her producer loved the work and I'm featured on 8 out of the 10 tracks on the album.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am working on releasing two new albums of material. Both duo recordings that I recorded myself. One is a drum/sax duo album of free jazz music, and the other is a sax/piano album of original jazz compositions, and I play both instruments! I'm also working on an orchestral piece that features vibraphone and alto saxophone.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I'm digital all the way in terms of what I'm working with for recording. I don't know, it just happened that way!

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: I promise that you'll get high quality work done in a reasonable amount of time.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I like being able to create on a regular basis and bring more art into the world using my skills as a musician and artist.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: Q: How should I send you audio files? A: Google Drive, Dropbox are preferred. Q: What is your expected turn around time for completing the project? A: I usually can turn things around in a week or less, depending on the size and scope of the project.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: I think that sometimes there is a misconception that since I play the saxophone, I'm only able to play or compose jazz music. I have a much broader palette of music that I draw from and inspired by.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: How would you like audio files sent/shared? Do you want me to provide mixing/effects on sax? What DAW do you use (if any)?

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I've been performing and recording in a variety of contexts with both saxophone and piano since my high school years. Over the past two years, I've gotten more serious about building a home studio and delving more into the world of DAWs and recording gear.

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: Recently I recorded piano, organ, and saxophone for several tracks for singer Rana Farhan's latest album. I recorded all the instruments using my home studio setup and they came out really great. Rana and her producer loved the work and I'm featured on 8 out of the 10 tracks on the album.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am working on: -Composing/recording/producing battle music for full orchestra for my video game music demo. -Developing my program "Altoism: The Masters of Alto Sax" -Arranging and rehearsing for my band "Squonk: A Jazz Tribute to Genesis"

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: I think that sometimes there is a misconception that since I play the saxophone, I'm only able to play or compose jazz music. I have a much broader palette of music that I draw from and am inspired by.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I'm digital all the way in terms of what I'm working with for recording. I don't know, it just happened that way!

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: I promise that you'll get high quality work done in a reasonable amount of time.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I like being able to create on a regular basis and bring more art into the world using my skills as a musician and artist.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: Q: How should I send you audio files? A: Google Drive, Dropbox are preferred. Q: What is your expected turn around time for completing the project? A: I usually can turn things around in a week or less, depending on the size and scope of the project.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: How would you like audio files sent/shared? Do you want me to provide mixing/effects on sax? What DAW do you use (if any)?

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I've been performing and recording in a variety of contexts with both saxophone and piano since my high school years. Over the past two years, I've gotten more serious about building a home studio and delving more into the world of DAWs and recording gear.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is as an improviser on the saxophone.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Keyboards: Yamaha P45 Electric Piano and Oxygen 61 Controller Woodwinds: RS Berkeley Virtuoso Alto Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet Roland XV2020 Rack Mount Synth 2008 Mac Pro Tower with Logic, Studio One,Ableton Live, Native Instruments Kontakt Ultimate, Arturia synths plugins. Line 6 UC2 Audio Interface ASUS Laptop with Studio One and PreSonus Orchestra and Piano Plugins ASUS 27" Monitor

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: My saxophone, a piano, a laptop, a microphone, and an audio interface. Hopefully there is electricity. :)

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is informed by both modern jazz and classical music, but I also have a healthy dose of pop and rock up in there too!

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: Bjork - mainly because of the big band that I created that plays her music. Also I think she is a musical visionary that isn't afraid to take chances

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Don't be afraid to turn knobs and sliders in effects and synth plug-ins - a lot! Play and have fun - you never know what sounds you will come up with.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I work on music in jazz (traditional to modern) and classical primarily. I also have experience working with rock, pop, and hip hop artists.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: As a saxophonist and pianist I bring a passionate, intense sound that reflects my experience as a modern jazz and classical artist, playing both as soloist and for background parts

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Depending on the needs of the project, I will either improvise or compose melodic lines and accompaniment parts to create the tracks. Then I edit and arrange the material. After this I create stems for the individual instrument tracks and send them to the client.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: I'm inspired by jazz artists such Wayne Shorter and Ornette Coleman. I am a big fan of video game composers such as Inon Zur. I am also inspired by film composers such as John Williams and Howard Shore.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: I record saxophone and keyboard tracks at my home studio. I prepare scores and parts for recording sessions. I also work as a music transcriber and copyist.