Another of my favorite places to play in New York was Zinno, conveniently located at 126 W.13th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in the...

I became friends with the great Tony Bennett in the 60s when I was the house pianist of a 7-piece band at the 1st class Roostertail...

or Watch what you wish for- you just might get it! When I was little we lived at 4136 Brush Street, Brush and Superior and to the left...

ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc42tshR17E

Lars Bjorn & Jim Gallert

Mark Stryker - University of Michigan Press

In a roundabout way, when I finally moved to New York, Cecil McBee led me to moving into a six story 1900 loft building in Noho full of a...

When I came from LA to New York in late 1979, Bradley’s was not my destination; the NY Playboy Club was, with bunnies and all that, for a...

Before Maxine became Maxine Gordon, she was Maxine Greg who was with Woody Shaw and had a baby by him about the time when I made the...

with Johnny Griffin Dexter was a strange kind of person to travel around the world with. He had his own agenda wherever he went. He could...

For five years (1980-1985) I played piano in Dexter’s quartet with Eddie Gladden on drums, Rufus Reid on bass -later replaced by David...

From the tender age of 6 I have had a front row seat for the American performance of race riots and rage. It all began for me at home in...

Clarinet, bass, flute, cello, bassoon & bass clarinet: Over the years, I’ve played many pianos around the world: in clubs, concert...

By the time I was born, Detroit had become a famous and successful city because of the automobile industry. People flocked to Detroit...

I was very lucky to grow up in Detroit with so many future famous musicians - classical, jazz and pop in my community. I went to school...

I have a vivid memory of hearing Dinah Washington when I was about six at the Paradise Theater. I can’t remember who was in her band. But...

New stories will be added to this section as we go. In Detroit, I met many wonderful musicians and friends, these stories are my "special...

I was born bangin’ on the piano. It was just a toy, I guess, and it still is. There was always a piano in our house because my...

Patience. A lesson in patience. My whole life seems to be about the lesson of patience. Patience with myself. 18 April 2014 in Paris