Musician of Many Hats
Ken plays guitar, bass and numerous percussion instruments with Brazil and Beyond. His influences range from early and Renaissance music to Acid Jazz. There isn’t a style of music he doesn’t like. He says he even likes opera, as long as they don't sing. Not surprisingly, he is a die-hard Beatles freak.
Among his Brazilian influences, he cites Pixinguinha, A.C. Jobim, Sergio Mendes, Caetano Veloso, Villa-Lobos, and Luiz Bonfájust for starters.
As a performer, Ken has played alongside such people as Meredith Wilson, George Duke, Kim Simons and Savoy Brown, Reba McEntyre, and the Lettermen. In the 1970’s his bass playing could be heard on the K.B.D. (Keep Detroit Beautiful) Teens television ads. In 1992, ’93 and ’94, Ken was nominated for Grammy Awards for Best Children’s Album as a member of the Gene Grier Singers and the Academy of Vocal Arts of Drayton Plains, both ensembles of which he has been a member for more than 25 years. He also appears regularly with Rare Blend, one of Detroit’s finest corporate entertainment groups.
Ken is a member of The Basschool staff and teaches bass and guitar around the Detroit area. He is a graduate of Oakland University’s School of Music Education and has attended Chicago’s VanderCook School of Music for post-graduate studies.