He is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, producer, musical director and singer-songwriter born in Brooklyn, New York, whose father was a pianist and organist.
He learned the piano while young, the recorder when he was 8 years old and by the time he was 10 he had moved on to concentrate on the clarinet, which he would major in at the LaGuardia School of Performing Arts. Learning how to accompany songs he was taught how to pick out guitar chords from sheet music by his father and he would also play bass guitar in several local bands. Taking further studies in music education and clarinet, he attended Queens College, New York, and performed in their jazz ensemble.
It wasn’t long before his bass playing became noticed and work was beginning to come in, to the point that he gave up college and ventured out on a full-time musical career as a session musician and sideman. From 1975 he has worked with David Sanborn, from 1980 to 1990 he also worked regularly with Miles Davis, with Luther Vandross from 1981 until his death and with The Jamaica Boys from 1986 to 1990. In the 1990s he joined up with the Eric Clapton, Steve Gadd, Joe Sample and David Sanborn in the group Legends and toured many of the European jazz festivals.
The artists he has worked with in the studio either as a musician or producer are far too many to mention but naming just a few they include Joan Armatrading, Aztec Camera, Celi Bee, Bee Gees, George Benson, The Brecker Brothers, Tom Browne, Peabo Bryson, Jimmy Buffett, Mariah Carey, Felix Cavaliere, Stanley Clarke, Linda Clifford, Natalie Cole, The Crusaders, Brian Culbertson, Paulinho da Costa, Will Downing, Donald Fagen, Bryan Ferry, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, Whitney Houston, Billy Idol, Jean-Michel Jarre, Al Jarreau, Dr. John, Elton John, Michael Johnson, Chaka Khan, Ben E. King, Earl Klugh, Julian Lennon, Richard Marx, Michael McDonald, Meco, Stephanie Mills, Melba Moore, Odyssey, Claus Ogerman, Teddy Pendergrass, Boz Scaggs, Scritti Politti, Ben Sidran, Carly Simon, Paul Simon, Simple Minds, Frank Sinatra, The Spinners, Spyro Gyra, Sunfire, The Temptations, Stanley Turrentine, Dionne Warwick, Was (Not Was), Grover Washington Jr. and Bill Withers.
With his own band and as a solo artist he has recorded many albums from 1983 onwards, which include Suddenly, Tales, Silver Rain, Free, Friends and the “Best Contemporary Jazz” Grammy Award winner, M2. In 2016 he was a Grammy Award nominee for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for his 2015 album Afrodeezia.
In the world of television he not only continued to perform but was also the musical director for the Sunday Night Band for NBC for two seasons. He also composed the music for the series Everybody Hates Chris and the movies Boomerang, The Brothers, Deliver Us from Eva, House Party, The 6th Man and School Daze.
His signature jazz bass has now been produced and sold by Fender in 4 and 5 string versions.
In 2012 he was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace where he supports and promotes the UNESCO Slave Route Project.
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