Steve, what do you like about jazz? 

For me, jazz is the most demanding art form.  It requires real-time creativity that is bound within a tradition.  People don't just decide to start playing jazz.  You really need to come by it honestly.  My father is a great jazz pianist, so I grew up hearing him play.  I also grew up hearing the old standards.  So when I play "Misty" or "The Way You Look Tonight," I know the words and I have the interpretations of countless performers in my head.  I have also played these songs hundreds of times, so I have carved out my own interpretation.  Jazz allows the performer freedom up to a point.  The song itself must come through.  This is the challenge and the reason that jazz players keep coming back to the standards. 

What do you think about when you're playing?

When I hear a standard, I always think of the lyric.  My mom taught me this.  I always imagine there is someone standing behind me, listening intently, hanging on every note.  Inside my head, I am always singing as I play.  My melodic improvisations come directly from my inner voice.  I am not playing mechanical scales or working around chord progressions.  I am trying to communicate directly - basically, I am singing.  On nights when I have been playing two or three hours in a club, eventually I hit a point where I forget the connections between my head and my fingers.  That is when the truest music emerges. 

Why don't you sing, too? 

I tried singing a little bit while I was in college.  In fact, I made a few recordings on a cheap tape recorder.  It didn't take long to realize that singing was not my strength.  My standard line when people ask me if I sing is "only under torture."  It's really not that bad, but my vocal efforts are clearly not for public consumption.  At the same time, I love working with vocalists.  I collaborated with vocalist Morgan Lindsey for four years and consider it to be some of the most meaningful music that I have made. 

How much practice did it take for you to become such a good pianist? 

I began as a classical pianist.  In junior high and high school, I practiced for four hours a day.  I concentrated on Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven.  I received a music scholarship in college and intended to pursue a career as a concert pianist.  However, once in college, I sized up the competition and realized I was not the top dog.  I gradually made the transition to jazz.  This took patience and lots of time.  Today, I spend no more than an hour a day at the piano.  My practice consists of scales, drills, Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven.  I have tried to keep up my classical chops.  I don't really practice jazz at home.  I tend to learn more performing for an audience, alone, or with other musicians.