This fellow knocked my socks off when I first heard him a few years back. I just happened to listen to some of his songs that I have of him a few days before this thread was started (Johnny B Good, In the Mood, Old Cape Cod, Sweet Georgia Brown, etc). I got a completely different impression this time around. After I finished listening to Sweet Georgia Brown I felt like I was walking away from a train wreck. My nerves were shattered!

Too many notes.....no spaces...no breathing of the instruments. Even Old Cape Cod was what I considered "butchered." The song is a beautiful piece of work.....but the lead line should be handled more delicately. Improvise all you want, but.......gently, it's a "gentle" song!

Diki wrote: "He's a real powerhouse in the style, a great player."

I agree with that..."a real powerhouse".......but I don't think he's a GREAT player. I think he is a GOOD player, but I don't think he is a great musician. I couldn't listen to more than the songs I have already. He wears you down with his playing.

Another thing that disappointed me is that I notice he seems to do everything in the key of C....even Georgia Brown, which was written in G. I lost a bit of respect there.

Aside from that, he seems like a genuinely nice guy, somewhat humble also. I'm just a little ticked off that when I first heard him years ago, I got a bit intimidated with what he was doing. This time around, I see the flaws....he's great at what he does, but it seems that's ALL he does. I think anyone playing ONE style day in and day out, is bound to be good at it!

A great musician to me can play in more than the key of C (the easiest of all), and can do a complete about face from that upbeat stuff to a slow and meaningful ballad and make the ballad "work" also! I wasn't impressed with his Old Cape Cod.