I am a trombonist. I approach composition through an instrumental ist's sensibility, a utilitarian approach of sorts: I write music that features the trombone and me as the trombonist. I am also deeply ensconced in, and a product of, educational institutions, with a B.M. degree in classical trombone performance, M.M. in Third Stream Studies, and Ph.D. in eth nomusicology. This said, my moments of compositional inspiration seem to emerge from one idea or feeling-a groove or melody that I begin to sing to myself. In the heat of composing, it seems as though this material izes from a nowhere within, driven by an intuitive urge to create. The moments usually occur just after psychological clearings of inner space, such as a vacation to a foreign place, a run in Central Park, or the experi encing of another artist's work that captures me and shakes something loose inside that simply must come out. At other times, compositions are prompted by a more pragmatic need for new repertoire for live perform ance or an approaching recording session. Style, feel, and rhythmic deter minations then are dictated less by epiphany, and more by the fact that the band needs an up-tempo and high-energy piece. In hindsight and with closer introspection, regardless if a new piece is generated from a need (an outer place) or a mere inspiration (an inner place), it becomes clear how the influences of my past musical life and my current performance settings are integral to the music that I hear. In other words, my trombone performance and educational experiences are both invaluable and pres ent complementary sources of inspiration in my life as a composer. Over the last twenty years, I have led several regularly performing groups, playing a variety of jazz styles, from straight ahead, to free, to Latin. Since I don't care much for writing music that I cannot hear per formed, I write for whatever band I am currently performing with. Although this limits stylistic parameters, it greatly enhances the speed with which I can explore various possibilities within those constraints. It allows my compositions to remain works in progress and provides satisfaction in watching them transform over time. In this way, I have adapted a composi tional process that relies upon live performance and the input of talented musicians whom I know intimately. The jazz styles that I perform allow and even require that improvisation playa significant role. That means my compositional process is tied to the choices I make concerning who plays in my band. My criterion for hiring sidemen is based on creating the most positive of vibes within the group's Current Musicology 67 & 68