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born in Rooster Poot (aka Little Rock), Arkansas in the 1950s, I feel a particular kinship with change. by the time I knew anything, the storm of the 1960s was upon the face of the earth. it colored everything. I was inspired towards openness, originality, distrust of authority, making my own rules. I seemed to be made for creativity in general and, specifically, music.
my first instruments were accordion and trombone. I studied electronic music during bachelors and doctoral training. I became a commercial musician in dallas in the 80s and, although it was a valuable learning experience, I hated the subservient nature of the lifestyle and moved back into art music and the avant garde.
a casual look at current projects will show my preference for improvisational art. everything is improvised on the backs of extensive training and unquenchable curiosity.
my degrees are a Bachelor of Music Ed from Henderson University in Arkadelphia, Ar, a Master of Music (trombone/jazz/composition) from Texas Christian University in Ft.Worth and 66 hours toward a Doctor of Musical Arts (trombone/jazz studies/electronic composition) from North Texas in Denton.
I've taught college level since the mid 1970s. Currently, I teach jazz and rock history at Southern Methodist University (since 1982) and, after 5 years at collin county, I'm transitioning to the university of texas at dallas in the fall of 2008.
for almost 20 years, I followed my dad's footsteps in professional radio. first at Dallas' classical station, WRR and, for 16 years, at KERA, the NPR affiliate in Dallas. along the way, I was awarded the Best Dallas DJ Award from the Dallas Observer and, eventually, became senior announcer and staff composer.
alas, in 2002, we had a falling out. the good, indeed, Great news is I now devote all my time and energy to my lifelong passions of music and teaching (and video games...and food...and friends...and various artistic projects... the things I really Wanna do).
I believe strongly in equal voices, freedom of expression and the joy of individual and ensemble art. there are no real artistic boundaries as there are no real barriers between people. prejudice and ignorance keep us from becoming an organic community based on sharing, trust and mutual respect.
when I think about my "mission", there is no higher calling than spreading this philosophy through public performance and college level teaching.
so...I do.
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