I got my first saxophone at the age of 21 after hearing the late Bob Berg play at the Town and Country Club in London. Thinking it would be easy to sound like Berg in a few weeks, I had a rude awakening, became very disillusioned and within a month sold my sax. As the buyer walked away with my instrument I knew I had made a mistake so the next day I bought another sax and became obsessed. I spent hours playing along to my favourite CDs but without having a clue about scales, chords , theory or improvisation. After about a year I realised I needed some guidance so sought a teacher. After several uninspiring lessons with various teachers I heard Sax Appeal play – the tenor player that night was Gary Plumley and I was so impressed I asked him to teach me, he agreed and imparted some very worthwhile knowledge during the course of our lessons. From then on I took my sax everywhere, sitting in on every opportunity, jams, gigs etc…I have been very active musically, playing in many different styles/situations (see experience page) which has certainly contributed towards me being a more adaptable/versatile player. As well as playing I have been teaching privately and in schools since 1995 (see services page). Since 2004 i have had some tuition in New York with Andy Snitzer and in London with Patrick Clahar. My view is that you never reach a point where you can’t learn more from inspirational players with greater knowledge!
