I studied with Steve When he was an instructor at MI, many moons ago, and we became friends. at that time he was using Larrivee basses and he gave me a great deal on what was my first 6-string. he helped immeasurably in cleaning up my technique and also showing me a lot about what makes a great teacher. he can be a sarcastic guy, but once you know him, he'll do anything for you. and his students are as important to him as his gigs. you should know that a lot of what you hear when you listen to him is dialed way back. he played with Dizzy Gillespie and the trumpeter used to call him "Machine Gun" because of his lethal chops. when Steve realized that it wasn't necessarily a compliment, he started focusing on what makes a line or a solo memorable. I don't know that he succeeds all the time, but when you hear his recorded work and know what he's truly capable of, you have to admire his discipline.
