Algernon
03-31-2003, 03:59 PM
Bio - My father (Big Nick), a career Navy man, gave me my first guitar when I was a 14 year old punk, that was back in 1963. Some young sailor aboard my Dad's ship desperately needed money to go home and see his girlfriend one weekend (you can all understand that). So my dad gave him $5 and a bayonet he wanted for this beat up old Kent electric guitar. I was hooked and the rest as they say is history. I played by ear for about 20 years and eventually decided to teach myself to read music around 1981-82. I did take a few key lessons along the way too from some very good players. I basically grew up listening to all the same stuff as everyone else did in my generation, Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys, Hendrix, Motown, John Mayall. I always had sort of a leaning towards the blues and jazz and big band tunes though. I began listening to Miles Davis, Coltrane, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, Oliver Nelson, Monk, Eric Dolphy, etc. all the jazz greats. I love Latin music too. Antonio Carlos Jobim had a huge influence on me.