John dropped out of high school to allow for total immersion into his work as a performer/composer, subsequently being mentored by the late, great bassist David Izenzon.
For the last thirty-six years he has traveled the globe performing thousands of concerts of creative music. He has released myriad albums that spotlight his original compositions and feature his singularly identifiable bass playing. His extended works for chamber ensembles, both large and small, have been widely commissioned, including works for The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, New York Chamber Ensemble, and Neues Kolner Streichquartett.
His work as a producer of powerful cross-genre projects is well known, as is his ongoing work as an educator with a distinctly unique message. In addition to being an ensemble leader and a co- founder of the String Trio of New York, he has worked with a plethora of luminary improvising artists, including Albert Mangelsdorff, Ed Thigpen, Wadada Leo Smith, Susie Ibarra, Karl Berger, John Carter, Kevin Norton and Roswell Rudd.
Awards and fellowships in support of his work include those from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, Chamber Music America, ASCAP, Arts International, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Cary Charitable Trust, New York State Council on the Arts, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Meet The Composer, and a Diploma de Honor from Gobernacion Cordillera, Chile.