I've been trying to hold back from saying something but I can't. I've been fighting tears. Marcus Belgrave was so meaningful in my life. One day he gave me and Omar Lateef the biggest whooping ever on the blues at…Read more

Michael Jackson: The Quincy Years
My brother Brad asked me,"What was MJ's best album?" This is a hard question and almost impossible to answer. My cousin Teshenia says I need to answer things better; however, this is still a trick…Read more

My mother passed on September 9, 6:00am CST.  I miss her dearly.

I'm so grateful for the concert we had at the funeral.  There wasn't much crying.  Why?  I wanted to celebrate her life.  We had glorious singing by Kisma…Read more

I haven't blogged in a while.  My mother has been sick.  She's been situated. AMEN!!!


I recently recorded a great singer last month.  She nailed the part of Pearl to a science on a song I wrote with Marcus and…Read more

Really, this should be called,"Don't have an ego"

Preface:
I'm an emotional artist.  I put some much into every note I compose, every phrase I arrange, and every word I write.  Therefore, I become attached to everything.


Blog:
With that…Read more

The most influential album in my life is arguably Quincy Jones' Sounds and Stuff Like That.  In the liner notes (written by Alex Haley) Q calls Anthony Jackson, Eric Tee, Phil Upchurch, and Grady Tate the greatest rhythm section…Read more

Length
When writing your story, one thing to perhaps keep in mind is how long will your story be.  I was CONVINCED when I first wrote my upcoming book that it was going to be a novelette.

Novelette?  Okay, let…Read more

Many people have asked me, "How do you write a story?" or "How do you write a piece of music?"

To answer the question directly, one must storyboard.

Traditionally, storyboard is defined as a sequence of drawings, typically with some…Read more

I have received numerous compliments on my writing for the French Horn.  Although I am grateful for them, the truth is I can't take too much credit for it.  I was immersed into a culture where the French Horn was…Read more

I have recently filmed my first video production EVER!!! I must admit, I was nervous as all heck.
Nonetheless, it was a success.  I have to give much props to Kamal Smith for his invaluable tidbits.

This video will be…Read more

There was a gentleman who told me that he had a professor who said "arranging was the same thing as composing."
Au contraire mon frère, ce n'est pas vrai. There is a huge DIFFERENCE.   I think the best way…Read more

We often make a fatal mistake of attempting to separate the so-called classical tradition of African American music with our rich and profoundly influential improvisational traditions. Ellington, Strayhorn, Monk and Mingus should appear on any list of African American composers.…Read more