My main instrument is the tenor saxophone, but I also monkey around on keyboards and percussion sometimes. My main influences on the tenor sax are players like Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, and John Coltrane. My main influences musically are Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, and James Brown, with an extra dose from others such as Led Zeppelin, Rage Against The Machine, Nas, and Radiohead.
I don’t really have time to play for hire anymore as a freelance jazz and blues tenor player, but I’m always open to new playing opportunities if they’re serious, and lately, if they’re funky. At the moment, I’m principally involved with two groups in the Halifax area:
AST
Originally known as Atlantic Standard Time, this quartet is known for its jazz standards and jazz versions of modern pop repertoire from artists such as Feist, Radiohead, Hawksley Workman, and more. Personnel comprise Dustin LindenSmith on tenor sax, Chris Elson on keyboards, Adam Fine on bass, and Bob Gaudreau on drums.
2×2
A post-modern funk, jazz and blues quartet featuring the classic Hammond B3 organ sound. Repertoire is selected from amongst composers such as Ray Charles, Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis, Jimmy Smith, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, and others, along with originals from the group. Personnel comprise Matt Myer on Hammond’s XK-2 organ synthesizer, Dustin LindenSmith on tenor sax, Ross Burns on guitar, and Paul Keddy on drums.
I also maintained a briefly-running audio blog in 2006 which hosted a regular podcast produced by me that featured little-known “gold nugget” tracks by underground funk, soul, jazz and hip-hop artists. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to develop a significant audience for that series before personal circumstances (i.e. raising a six-year-old girl and two baby boys under two!) forced me to stop publishing. However, I remain interested in getting that podcast running again as soon as I can fit it back into my schedule.