Over the years I've been influenced by many people, not all of them musicians. As a sax player my three main influences remain John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly and Charlie Parker but there have been others, not all of whom had an obvious impact. For example, working with Lenny Pickett on and off for many years provided me with quite a learning experience but I don't think there is anything reminiscent of Lenny's playing in mine.

As a composer I've listened to so many people in a variety of fields that I don't wish to single out any one composer. Suffice it to say that I'll leave all questions of influence to the listener. Anything more will only serve to pigeon-hole my work and that would be the worst thing I could ask for. I am an avid reader and often find inspiration from a book or a painting. Naturally the effect is indirect but I find that, for me, structural ideas for music don't necessarily have to come from other music. However, once I begin to compose, things stay in the realm of music.