Q. What inspired you to first pick up the saxophone and what were your first attempts at playing these instruments?

A. Listening to a CannonBall Adderly's song, "Sweet Ema". Also my Father was a musician (he was great pianist) and he was very inspirational.

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

A. Initially, I was self-taught. When I was 15 I used to borrow a neighbor's saxophone and I would practice playing "Sweet Ema", it was the first song I learned. I just picked up the horn and played it without even learning it. Later, I started playing in the school band and began taking private lessons.

Q. Who inspired you to learn the saxophone?

A. My Dad and CannonBall Adderly.

Q. What is your practice regimen like?

A. I try to practice at least two hours a day, or an hour on each horn.? It's hard to squeeze the time in, but I usually have at least 3 good practice sessions a week.

Q. How would you define your style of playing?

A. Spiritual, emotional and with feeling.

Q. What can we expect from your release, "A New Beginning"?

A. You can expect to hear something for all ages. Everyone will like something on this album. It's a blend of Jazz Melodies with Hip Hop Harmonies.

Q. Tell us about the musicians that appear on your CD?

A. I have Lucky Peterson on the CD, who is one of the baddest blues musicians out there. And Wayne Stalling did a lot of work on the album, he's played with some of the greats like Earth Wind & Fire, Anita Baker and Gerald Albright.

Q. Lets talk about your creative process. How do you approach writing an original song?

A. I approach writing from how I feel and what's going on around me. Whether I'm happy, or sad, it all effects how I write. I normally begin by sitting down at my keyboard and stroking some keys. Sometimes I write around a melody, and other times I write around a harmony. The sax is the last element to the songs I write, which is the easy part.

Q. What challenges do you face when switching from different styles of music?

A. The challenge is staying up on all styles. Whatever I practice the most at is what I play the best, so I mainly practice everything. I mostly play hip hop or jazz on stage, but in my practice sessions I usually play traditional jazz.

Q. What other types of music or artists do you derive inspiration from?

A. Sonny Stitt, Kirk Whalum, and CannonBall Adderly.

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

A. Don't quit.

Q. What's been your proudest playing moment?

A. I really don't have a proudest moment. The closest I would say is playing with some of the well known sax players, like Kirk Whalum and Kenny G.

Q. What's the biggest disaster you've ever had on stage, and how did you cope with it?

A. Right before a show, somebody on the stage knocked my horn off the stand, and didn't tell me. My entrance was supposed to be a 1 bar intro when the band stops the music, and when I started to play, I blew and nothing came out of the horn but a squeek. I made a joke of it, I looked down the bell of the horn and switched horns. I just transposed playing with the other horn.

Q. Do you warm up before a concert and if so how?

A. Yes, I play long sustained tones.

Q. What's the most important bit of advice you could give to new saxophone players?

A. Don't lose the fire.

Q. Thanks for your time and consideration for this article and interview. Any last thoughts for our readers?

A. Put the Lord Jesus Christ first, and you can't go wrong.