As piano is his first instrument, naturally Brian's early musical influences were piano players. Pop/rock pianists such as Billy Joel and Elton John were intrinsic influences - until Brian discovered an Oscar Peterson recording and fell in love with jazz.

Throughout his 20's, Brian studied jazz and was influenced by a variety of jazz and blues piano players, including Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Thelonious Monk, and Dr. John. His playing takes on certain elements of these and other pianists' traditions and repertoire.

Around the year 2000, Brian was given two albums to listen to by a band mate: "A Go Go" (John Scofield) and "Turn It Out" (Soulive). This sparked a serious interest in modern jazz and funk, and in turn lead him down a path of discovery of R&B, soul, reggae, gospel, and hip-hop.

He now considers his main influences to be John Medeski (of Medeski, Martin & Wood), Neal Evans (of Soulive), Herbie Hancock, and Dr. John.

Other artists that have been an influence on Brian include Jimmy Smith, James Brown, Sly & The Family Stone, The Meters, The New Deal, Carter Beauford, Ben Folds, Dave Matthews, Bobby McFerrin, Tom Waits, Stevie Wonder, and Victor Wooten.

Jamming out