(Last updated 10.07.09)

I was born 30th August 1977 in Lancaster, which is in the North of England. I moved shortly after this to Northwich - which is a little town near Crewe. We stayed there until I was 6 years old, at which time we went to Australia for a year. Upon returning from Australia (armed with a thick Aussie accent!) my parents decided that England was altogether too cold and my Dad took a job in Hong Kong. I went to school there for one year and then went to Taunton School in Somerset, England for 4 years.

It was here that I first got interested in music. After initial piano lessons I started to take trumpet lessons from Terry Ravenor. I really had my eye on playing the tuba though and one year later at the age of 11 I was encouraged to take up the instrument and loved it. Double bass followed a year later.

However, at this time my parents moved to Mönchengladbach, Germany and I decided that I would join them and enjoy all the comforts that living at home has to offer. It was at this time that I started to play Bass Guitar, using my Dad's bass. I formed a group with two other school friends called "Midnight." In fact, I was nearly the drummer and it was only because I could sing (or only because I knew all the words even!) that I became the bassist. At this time I didn't have my own double bass so I concentrated on the electric bass.

About this time the Rheindahlen Music Centre was started under the expert baton of Frank Gillett and I found a place to centre my musical activities. I was still practicing tuba like mad and I took my Royal Schools of Music Grade 8 and Advanced Certificate with Lynne Croft. I could also take up the double bass again and had lessons in the local Musik Schule. I was also playing in the Niederrheinische Jugend Symphonie Orchester at this time on tuba. I also performed with a Brass Quintet "Quintessential" with players from this orchestra. We gained first prize in the German young musician competition.

I was keen at this time to start my own soul band with a brass section. Inspired by classic soul, "Soul Doubt" was born and we did local gigs and even some pro jobs. This was my first hands-on experience at running my own band and all the musical arrangements came from my own hand.

After finishing school I took a job working as a - believe it or not - civil servant. I was driving around Germany measuring buildings for the military. Oddly enough they had no idea what they had there!

Directly after leaving this job, which only lasted 6 months, I was offered a job as brass teacher at the Rheindahlen Music Centre. In October '97 I started to work in Roncalli's Apollo Varieté in Düsseldorf as String bass / Tuba player. I was offered the contract in January '98. This began my long assocciation with the musical director of Roncalli - Georg Pommer.

By this time the full-time brass job was too much to handle together with all the Apollo performances and I handed over to the capable hands of Jon Dempster and I concentrated on teaching Classical Guitar part-time.

Whilst doing all this I managed to complete my BA (hons) with the Open University and my LRSM with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM).

I stayed at the Apollo and Music Centre for about a year and a half. Then I was offered a job in Circus Roncalli as singer. I was eager for a change and so I took the plunge and went on tour. I certainly had a wild time! In fact I returned for a second season and that is when and where I met my wife, Tanya.

In September 2001 I went back to playing in the Apollo and teaching in the Music Centre again. I also played in the Circus from time to time. I bought a house in March 2003 and I stopped teaching in the Music Centre in the summer of 2002 to concentrate on playing and studying for an MA on contemporary Turkish Nationalism through music in London.

2003 also saw the start of my own publishing company "Mingusongs".

September 2003 saw us moving to London where I completed a PGCE in Secondary Music Education at London Metropolitan University, completing placements at St. Clere's School in Stanford-Le-Hope, Thurrock and Islington Green School. I then worked one year at King Solomon High School, a Jewish secondary school as a a classroom music teacher. Tanya began working in a hairdressing salon near King's Cross.

Summer 2004 saw me performing with the London Philharmonic Skiffle Orchestra, on the musical dog (an idea they have now copied) and other instruments, playing folk festivals and visiting Finland. I have also performed with the Turkish/Greek crossover group Troia Nova, notably at SOAS. During Summer 2005 I performed with the London Philharmonic Skiffle Orchestra across the UK and Ireland as well as international dates in Norway and Finland. I also completed and passed my MA dissertation.

In late 2005, I had a short spell working at the North London Music Centre, in which I featured in the BBC series 'The House of Tiny Tearaways' demonstrating my various instruments to children with learning difficulties. In 2006 I gained valuable teaching experience working at Sir George Monoux 6th Form College, Walthamstow, teaching drama and musical theatre and also teaching primary music at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School in South Ockendon Essex.

Summer 2006 saw gigs in Manchester and London with American Klezmer trumpet player Susan Watts. I directed the challenging music for West Side Story for King Solomon High School. Also a tours of Denmark: one with Martyn Oram and one with  Michael Strobel and festivals in Denmark and Finland with the London Philharmonic Skiffle Orchestra. I also travelled all over Europe (8000km!) in my motorhome playing and singing to anyone who would listen! I also managed to complete a second level German course with the Open University, who used me in several publicity ventures including a articles in The Independent and the Walthamstow Guardian. I also played Joe B Mauldin in a Stage-one production of "Buddy" in Ilford.

2007 kicked off with me travelling to Dubai and various other locations around the British Isles with Poles Apart - playing disco music on the sousaphone .... on stilts! More gigs with Martyn Oram doing such wacky gigs as Medieval banquets and Nelson shows for Swansflight productions. I also played with the remarkable singer Jim Garrett as well as London Klezmer band Shekoyokh. I performed in Trafalgar Square with Troia Nova and also performed my solo musical comedy act with Whoopee Club in the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. I also appeared at Marlborough Jazz Festival and performed at the opening of two Hotel Malmaisons (in Cambridge and London).   I performed a number of Hopkele Jewish dance events with Guy Shalom and Ilana Cravitz. A highlight of the year was being invited on the the assistant faculty at KlezFest London where I got to work with a range of fantastic musicians such as Frank London and bass supremo Mark Rubin amongst many others. I also added a complete brass section (trumpet, clarinet, trombone and sousaphone) to the track The Last Thing That I Do for the band Hey Negrita. The later half of the year was taken up by work as musical director for the large sell out show that was The Masque of the Red Death. A Punch Drunk production in conjunction with the National Theatre at the Battersea Arts Centre, it sold out for the entire run and received rave reviews. It ran until April 2008 and kept me well and truly occupied!

After the Masque of the Red Death I started playing much more trad. Jazz on the sousaphone and performed with a whole host of great Jazz musicians and bands, including the Silk Street Hot Seven, Allen Beechy, Don Steele, Graham Huhges and the Sunshine Kings, The Dixie Ticklers, Dick Cook, Bill Stagg, Mike Parle, Maurice Dennis and a whole host more than I have forgotten to list.

I also recorded an album of Victorian music hall songs (some original songs by myself) with The Dead Victorians. We played at Blackpool Wintegardens.

I also started to play with Hey Negrita, a fantastic band playing original music in the finest American tradition. First depping on double bass, then on banjo and accordion for an acoustic album, then on piano and keys. I also played the odd gig and session with folk singer Katy Carr. The summer saw me playing at some of the main festivals in the UK, such as Glastonbury. I also guested with The Brass Volcanoes.

Towards the end of the year I played with the fantastic Dublin-based band Yurodny, with the outstanding Nick Roth on Sax. I also started playing with The Yiddish Twist Orchestra with such legends as Merlin Shepherd and Ben Mandelson of 3 Mustaphas 3 fame.

2009 saw me doing much of the same freelancing stuff and kicked off in earnest with a US tour with Hey Negrita, finishing up at SXSW. This was followed by a short tour in Istanbul with Canan Turan. The Dead Victorians performed at Wilton's Music Hall (acoustic to hundreds of people, in the finest music hall tradition!)

I started working for the Jewish Music Institute, maintaining their website and also played with many of the members of Oi Va Voi, at Hampstead Synagogue, where I was on the Klezmer Hoyz committee. I also had my MA research published in a book about the Turks in Europe. I also resumed playing with Laoise Davidson and Zing!

I guested with Chancery Blame and The Gadjo Club and performed with Alexis Dubus as part of his Marcel Lecont show as well as playing in Clara Belle's band. I contributed tuba and helicon to Shekoyokh's 2009 album. I played tuba in the band for Robin Harris' new score for the Russian Yiddish silent film Benya Krik at the Barbican.

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