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Although it is my second album, it feels like this is the first time that my true development as a player, composer, and bandleader will be on display. I wrote and arranged all of this music while living in my new home city of Los Angeles.

First Impressions is my calling card, and it encapsulates the variety of genres that I’ve explored over the years. I came up with many of the tunes while getting my Master’s Degree at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. Some were written from the piano and others were from the drums. “Noodles and Potatoes” was originally a big band chart that I wrote for Bob Mintzer’s graduate composition class. “You’re Not Alone” was written in one of the Rehearsal rooms at USC. “Navigating the Maze” and “I Can See the Glimmer” were written for my final Master’s Recital as I was getting ready to graduate and finally take a breather from school. “First Impressions” and “Wanna Bounce” were written at home after listening to some of my favorite modern jazz composers. “Parting Ways,” “Play it Cool,” and “Ahead of the Curve” were all written a few months before the recording of this album and during a very difficult time in my life. I was out of school for the first time and was pretty frightened about the future, knowing that being a freelance musician is full of uncertainties. “Recorda Me” was a tune that I had been playing for years at jam sessions and gigs, and it was never my favorite. So, I said to myself, “I wonder if I can arrange this tune in a way that would not step on Joe Henderson’s iconic melody and also make me enjoy playing it again. I think it was a success, as it is one of my favorite tracks on the album.

When people listen to First Impressions, I want them to feel like they are hearing something new, and yet more mature than most recordings they would hear from someone in their twenties.