Q. What inspired you to first pick up the drumsticks and what were your first attempts at playing the drums like?

A. Well when I first played the drums, I wanna say it was 1968. James Brown had a song called Cold Sweat. My brother had a band and the drummer left his drums at my grandmother's house and so I just sat down on the drums oneday and "Cold Sweat" was playing and I started to play along with the record. I freaked out!

Q. Did you take lessons or are you self-taught?

A. Self taught. I listened to a lot of records and would play along to records all the time, that was my teacher.

Q. Who inspired you to learn? What records did you check out?

A. A lot of funk. James Brown, Sly Stone, Isaac Hayes, Funkadellics. All the funk stuff when I first started. I didn't swing anything until the early 1980's

Q. You spent twenty one years with the late great Jimmy Smith, tell us about your first encounter with him.

A. There's this cat in town named Mose Davis who owned an organ. Jimmy Smith was coming to town and this was Mose's idol. I had a van and worked for a sound company and we delivered the organ to the venue Jimmy Smith was scheduled to perform at. I met Mr. Smith at the soundcheck and politely asked him If I could play one song with him during the soundcheck. "No problem...no problem", Jimmy Smith replied. They called me up to play one song the rest was history, twenty one years after that.

Q. What was it like for you growing up playing funk and then making the switch over to playing drums in more of a "swing" environment?

A. Well actually, Funk and Swing aren't really that much different. Funk is more about 2 and 4 on the snare and swing is more about 2 and 4 on the hi hat and the cymbal. In addition, some swing has a shuffle feel. It's not the big of a difference once you understand the deal. Music is just the way you make it feel.

Q. Yes, but you know a lot of straight ahead type jazz players don't respect funk/contemporary/smooth type players and vice versa, particularly jazz broadcasters, thoughts?

A. There are guys who do both incredible, Herbie Hancock, Harvey Mason, Bernard Purdie. When it comes to swinging their swinging and when it comes to funk they throw it down. Most of the traditional jazz guys who criticize funk players, do this just because they can't really play it themselves and vice versa. Most great musicians just play whatever they want. I was watching Simon and Garfunkel at Central Park and I look up and there's Grady Tate playing drums with Steve Gadd.

Q. What was your 21 years with Jimmy Smith like?

A. Crazy! Wild! I got to see the world, it was a pretty incredible ride. Musically it was a bunch of shuffles, swing and blues feels. He taught me, that less is more and how to rock a house. How to just lay it down. Jimmy Smith was the world's greatest, he was a legend. He popularized and I dare say solely responsible for taking the Hammond B3 out of the Black church and integrating it into popular music.

Q. What was your proudest playing moment with Jimmy Smith?

A. It was the Heritage Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Blues Fest. Normally we would laugh and joke before most concerts, however this event we didn't. It was weird, it was like some kind of spirit came over us. Horace Silver was in the Limo with us. Next thing I know, It was incredible. We hit the stage and I thought I was going to pass out because it was so hot. Next thing I know this breeze comes and it starts to pour rain. People had to get under the tent, as it was real tight, the party was on! Anybody that was there at that concert will know exactly what I'm talking about.

Q. Performing with a legend such as Jimmy Smith, you're bound to come in contact with many other great artists. Tell us about some of your encounters on the road with other musicians.

A. I could go on for hours. Playing with Jimmy, I got to meet Curtis Fuller, George Benson, Eliane Elias, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis. We we're playing in Japan and Wynton Marsalis whispered, "do you think the old man will mind"? I said, "go get your horn". You see Jimmy and I had this report, we we're a true team. We had a great chemistry together, lots of laughter and comedy as well as intense moments of beauty. It was chemistry from the first day. He would see if he could scare you. Musically he would throw this stuff out to see if he could scare or lose you and he would see how strong you we're by doing that. Playing with Jimmy was about hearing anything that was happening. He would never call a song, he would never say what we we're playing, he would just go boom. There we're so many tunes that I hadn't heard, I mean Jimmy had over 200 albums out. I didn't know half of those songs, but you had to open your ears up. That was one of the things you had to do with Jimmy Smith.

Q. Did you ever rehearse?

A. Never rehearsed as a band. Every once in a while Jimmy and I would go jam at different clubs and sometimes play more than we did at the concert. We liked to meet people, I mean we had friends all over the world.

Q. So you're stepping up to the plate as leader; tell us about your own group and your debut CD titled "On My Way Home".

A. Well I'm trying to figure what took me so long. I guess working with Jimmy, I never thought about him leaving us. Once he left us, it was like ok he's gone, I'm still here. I've got to get busy here, cause I don't want to get stuck as a local musician in any town for the rest of my life. I recorded this CD with Jimmy Smith in mind a lot. You can tell if you listen to it, I mean I could fill his spirit when I was recording. I decided to take an album that my father played, which became one of my favorite albums as a kid. I loved the sound of jazz, I just didn't understand it. I thought it was crazy music. As a kid I really thought it was crazy music. Cannonball Adderley and Nancy Wilson proved me wrong. You know Cannonball introduced and helped Nancy's career. I mean, this was one of my favorite albums all throughout my life. I didn't try to copy it like they did it, I wanted to put my own stamp on it.

Q. Let's talk about your creative process. How do you approach arranging standards and or writing original music? Do you compose from the drums or do you use the piano?

A. Piano. Actually I played the B3 at church before I ever touched the drums. I understand piano so I understand voicings, form. I think all musicians should understand piano, I don't care what you play. As far as arranging, I'll use my CD as an example. Actually the arrangements didn't go down until the studio. I had an idea of what I wanted, but it didn't get flushed out until we wen't into the studio. All those tracks are first takes. We had one rehearshal the night before.

Q. What other types of artists do you draw inspiration from?

A. Classical, lots of Gospel, Brazilian music, Rock, old school funk. I'll be very honest, I love all kinds of music. I have a hard time putting things into categories because there is a thing called good music and bad music.

Q. What's the most important bit of advice you were given by another musician?

A. Don't try so hard. Slow it down, relax and let it groove. If you try too hard, you cloud it all up.

Q. What one piece of equipment should all drummers own?

A. Drumsticks (laughter).

Q. Do you warm up before a concert?

A. No I don't. Normally I pray before I play. I don't like to try anyway, I mean I'm just a tool to let the spirit come in. To say a prayer first gives you the channel that you need.

Q. Any last thoughts for our readers?

A. I hope they enjoy my CD and I hope it will touch and move people.