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I grew up in Santa Monica, CA but was concieved in Casablanca, Morrocco and so I feel justified in sometimes telling people that I’m African. After I learned to walk, I developed this singing reaction to being well fed. Thus, every night after dinner I would burst into my own mock opera as I cleaned the kitchen. I’m quite sure my parents and sisters loved it although the only feedback I got was from my mother plugging her ears and saying “too high, my dear, too high.” Anyway, the point is that I’ve always loved to sing.
Then in 6th grade I took up alto sax because my sister Julia told me to play a “cool instrument” and I was willing to do anything my sister said was cool in that charmingly insecure era of my existance. Since then I’ve fallen in love with Ella Fitzgerald, Paul Desmond, Bobby McFerrin, this tall kid in my 9th grade German class (although this turned out to be just an infatuation - go figure), Salif Keita and countless others. I also went to college n’ stuff. Now I reside in Portland, OR where I have found magical people and projects and trees. The projects include: The March Fourth Marching Band, Xevi Nova, The Roswell Sisters, my own a cappella group called Jellyfish, and of course Vagabond Opera.
