This is it. The man who made
me decide to be a musician. Vince Clarke of Erasure.
I first heard Erasure in 1987. At that moment I decided that I would
play keyboards for the rest of my life. Anyone who has ever met me
knows that Erasure is my favorite band and Vince Clarke has been my idol
since I was 13. So here I am, 18 years later and for the first time
I have the chance to tell him what an impact he had on me. All I
could manage to squeeze out was, "Thank you for everything - For my
life...for my career...for who I am today." His reply?
"Oh, you're too polite." What a humble man. Right
afterward, I showed my friend Susan the photo in the digital camera.
I was so overcome with emotion I started to cry. Susan asked me if I
was OK. All I could manage to say is, "This photo is the
epitome of my entire life."
Rutger
Hauer said it best in Blade
Runner: "It's not an easy thing...to meet your maker." |
Appearing on the televsion show, "Pan-Am"
acompanying Karine
Vanasse at the piano. |
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Daphne Rubin Vega's band when I first joined.
From left: Joe
Passaro, Daphne
Rubin-Vega, Tony Cruz, Me, Oliver Hoffer. (David Matos is taking the
shot)
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Leading the Duke Ellington Orchestra
with an arrangement I wrote for a performance featuring Mike Minery
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Daphne Rubin Vega with her 2004 Tony
Award Nomination.
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With my mentor and friend, Garry
Dial. One of the most amazing musicians I've ever met as well as
one of the most amazing people.
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With the legendary folk singer Terre
Roche of the Roches. One of the sweetest people I've ever known.
She also has a cat with no tail, which is just cool to see.
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Having a drink after a gig at the
Supper Club with Felicia
Collins (Guitarist from David Letterman's Band) and Lashelle, an
amazing singer from down South!
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With the amazing vocalist Machan.
She is the former frontwoman for the Smooth Jazz group, Hiroshima.
Their album EAST
is the first time I heard and fell in love with her voice. And when
I was at the tender age of 16, no less! Can you imagine the thrill
when I became friends with her years later? She is also one of the
sweetest people that I have the pleasure of knowing. She's got two
solo releases that are incredible. Visit her website and check them
out!
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With Randy Jackson. He didn't
call me dawg, though.
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Backstage with Mya.
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With Tom Lord-Alge. If there
was ever music royalty, this is it. |
With Pia Toscano |
WIth the amazingly talanted and even
nicer, composer and artist Fawn. |
With British dance star Luciana |
The back of my head before showtime
at Radio City Music Hall. With my snazzy, latex tiger shirt!
Picture by: Matty Amendola! |
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Just before going onstage at the
Gibson Theater in L.A.
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With tap dancer extraordinaire, Mike
MInery.
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Practicing in the Green Room before
going on at the Gibson Theater.
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On stage with Kim Sozzi
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Dave Lindland and Rennie
Xosa of the band RAINE.
From a gig we did out west. Two fantastic people and
musicians. Rennie is another very talented bassist and Dave is also
a talented producer.
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Backstage with Kim
Sozzi just before going on stage.
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With Miss
USA at a gig.
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Sharing a beer with "China"
Mana. When it comes to drummers, there is
no one else. |
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With Atsuko Yamano and Naoko Yamano
of Shonen Knife.
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No, that's not George
Foreman! That's Charles Dutton! I played an event in Manhattan
that both he and Daphne Rubin-Vega were hosting. I told him that I
loved him in Alien 3 and he just looked at me funny.
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With Baba Booey when I played
the Howard Stern Show. He actually smelled nice.
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With Artie and Fred Norris
from the Howard Stern Show.
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With the band I played with on the
Howard Stern Show with Robin Quivers. On the far left is Danielle
Zanghi, a fantastic vocalist and very popular session vocalist / voiceover
artist. |
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From Left to Right: Danielle
Roeser, Buck
Dharma (From Blue Oyster Cult), Me, Tracy Peer, Ken
McGee, Scott
Peer.
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On a gig with Daphne August 6th,
2006. |
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With Bass legend
Stefan Held and
Guitar God David Matos. |
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Performing with
Marty Thomas (I'm
on top all the way at the right! That's Stefan Held on the left
Bass/MD, Dan Weiner on Drums and Dave Matos on Guitar) |
With Russian rock star
Chicherina,
backstage in Maryland after a show. |
On stage with Chicherina. |
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In Chung King studios laying a track
for Daphne Rubin-Vega's album on Sh-k Boom records, "Redemption
Songs". |
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Hanging with the amazingly
talented Morris
Brothers during my birthday. They just released a new CD.
Treat yourself and
buy it here! |
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Sometimes the best parts of my career are the most unexpected. I
did a gig in Vegas and after we arrived, the director decided he wanted
horns so I started making phone calls. After a few calls, I ended
up with these guys! From L. to R.:Me, Nathan Tenouye (tb), Danny Falcone
(tp) and Jerry Merra (A. sx). On top of being very professional
and extremely friendly, these guys took a bunch of new arrangements I
had hastily written in half a day and brought them to life in a way I
couldn't have written! Apparently they had been a horn section for
quite a few years and it showed as it seemed that they were reading each
other's minds. You can't even put a price on that kind of
experience. They currently play with
Sante Fe and the Fat City Horns as well as on a number of Vegas
shows. Additionally Danny Falcone is the son of Frank Sinatra's
musical director
Vincent Falcone so that was a nice little Vegas touch.
Wait...does that mean I'm connected to Frank Sinatra through 2 degrees
of separation? Hmmm..... |
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On tour - tired and filthy!
This as bad as it gets... |
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Before playing a show with Eran
Asias, drummer for
Scandal and Patty Smyth |
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Just jammin' one night... |
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I've flown on some ratty
airlines...I'm just happy to be in one piece! |
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Jamming on a Hammond B3 at a gig in
New Jersey at Kean University.
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"Yooouuu! You got what I
neeeeeddd!"
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Go Ahead and Laugh, but this thing
is really a lot of fun. I've named him
"Excalibur".
Besides, Keiko Matsui plays
one also and she's another idol of mine!
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One night in a rock club...
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