COMMUNITY MUSIC

Thanks for your interest in this other side of my life — playing music in community settings.

I come by my love of music honestly — my mother taught piano. She charged four dollars per lesson, and I remember her coming home with her coat pockets stuffed with crumpled singles. For some reason, she never folded the bills. My job was to straighten and stack them. I was about four years old. My father showed me how to run a bill back and forth along the edge of the kitchen table to smooth out the wrinkles. Our house was always filled with musicians; in addition to teaching piano, my mother played chamber music, and the sound of flutes, violins, and cellos was constantly in the air.

In my dream career, I’m a virtuoso jazz guitarist performing at the level of Joe Pass in renowned clubs around the world. In reality, I’m a dedicated amateur playing in local pubs, private homes, street fairs, restaurants, art openings, and various community events in and around New York City.

I am particularly proud to participate in the nationwide program Musicians On Call, which brings the healing power of music directly to the bedsides of patients and their families. I also serve as a staff musician at the Hebrew Home, an assisted living facility in the Bronx.

Although modern life has changed the way we often listen to music — privately, through earphones — the simple pleasure of live music remains as vital as ever.

As Shakespeare put it: “If music be the food of love, play on.”