When you win a Grammy, it links a certain prestige and importance to you, you know? People want to talk to you.

To achieve this his forearm lies above and nearly parallel to the strings while his wrist is hooked downward at nearly a right angle. Having graduated from the Philadelphia Musical Academy (which was absorbed into the University of the Arts in 1985) he moved to New York City in 1971 and began working with famous bandleaders and musicians including Horace Silver Art Blakey Dexter Gordon Gato Barbieri Joe Henderson Chick Corea Pharoah Sanders Gil Evans and Stan Getz. 2 on Billboard charts' Contemporary Jazz Chart.

He is best known for his work with the fusion band Return to Forever and his role as a bandleader in several trios and ensembles.