Ryan D
Instruments: Piano, Guitar, Violin, Cello, Clarinet, Drums, Bass Guitar, Synthesizer, Ukulele, Mandolin, Recorder, Lute, Double Bass, Mallet Percussion, Conga, Latin Percussion
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, R&b, Gospel, Latin, Funk, Hip Hop, Electronic, Flamenco, Salsa, Showtunes, Spirituals, Reggae, Merengue, Latin Jazz, Swing, Samba, Bossa Nova, Soul, Punk, Avant-Garde

I started out at the age of nine playing the trumpet, and continued this for two years before switching to piano. Ultimately, I found my love in playing the guitar, and took lessons for two years. As time went on, I advanced as a guitarist and actually expanded into new musical instruments. I began playing in local rock and r&b bands at the age of 15. These were some of my most influential experiences, as they expanded my musical tastes into jazz fusion, swing, standards and Latin Jazz. After graduating high school, I attended community college and then went to New York to study jazz theory, where I played a few sets with Sweetback in 2000 that led up to being asked to play with the band. I picked up industry recording skills and engineering abilities that have helping me create my own music. I ended up recording and writing songs with Sweetback in 2004. Three of my songs were published.