When I came to New York in the ’80s, I started out playing with Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society.  I went on to play with Sun Ra, Ornette Coleman, Jane Cortez, and the Fire Spitters.  Al McDowell produced my first record.

I met Illinois Jacquet and he was going to have me play in his band, but he said before I play in his band, I had to go study with Professor William Felder at Rutgers University.  He called Professor Felder and said,  I’m going to send this Trumpet Player to you. So, that was the beginning of the late ’90s.  He was grooming me to play in the band.  He said 6 months with Professor Felder & you’ll be ready, all my musicians phrase together.

So, I had already been playing in the Sun Ra Arkestra, the Human Condition, little small bands and small big bands, but it was a whole different thing when I got with Illinois Jacquet.  He sent me to an agency I was working with while taking lessons and studying with Professor Felder to prepare to play in Illinois Jacquet’s band.  He brought me the 1st Tuxedo I ever owned.

Well, Illinois Jacquet got sick.  Professor Felder got sick and passed away.  Both of those guys passed away while I was studying with them getting ready to play in their format.  And then shortly after that Donald Byrd had passed.  All the people that I was studying with, so I got a lot of information from them on tapes and just being there.

That was a great experience and I thank Illinois Jacquet and Professor Felder for enlightening me further in my musical endeavors.  Donald Byrd, he was one of the realest, toughest teachers I ever had but for real, see cause, “don’t do it if you ain’t for real”; that’s what Donald Byrd was all about, being for real!  Rest in Peace.

I had a chance to meet & play with Hank Jones, Thad Jones’ brother, in a club called The Double Door in Queens.  And, with Miles Davis’ drummer, Gilly.  I went in to set in and it was Autumn Leaves.  I’ll never forget, he was up there playing a white Baby Grand Piano.  And the music was popping and he said yeah, come on sit in.  I went to sit in and he modulated through all the keys.  At that time, I only knew Autumn Leaves in one key.  And, after that night he sent me back on a mission of studying to be able to play in as many keys that comes in front of me.    He later told me that was the exercise he did with his brother, Thad Jones.  Thank you Hank Jones.