Tom is a New York City based guitarist, pianist, composer, arranger, journalist, photographer, & educator.
Originally from Berkeley, California, I've lived in Park Slope, Brooklyn since 2002. I direct the chorus and band at A. Philip Randolph public high school in Harlem. I earned a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology (September 2007) focusing on New York City's jazz community. My thesis argues that jazz is a “village” activity - a collective improvisation in which musicians, venue providers, various professionals, and fans all play active and essential roles. I was a showband guitarist on various cruiseships for almost five years, and continue to perform as a piano accompanist and as a vocalist. I have contributed to articles and photographs to Signal to Noise and All About Jazz: New York magazines, Ted Gioia's jazz.com website, the Journal of Folklore Research, and the Journal of the Society for Ethnomusicology. Best of all, my wife Kim and I have been blessed with a daughter, Talia.
