Inspired by Chicago-born Herbie Hancock who is a committed jazz pianist though he flirted with funk, dabbled with disco, and even dallied with electro and hip-hop.

Inspired by Massachusetts-born Jaki Byard - versatile pianist who’s own music drew on everything from ragtime to free jazz and all styles in between.

Inspired by leading avant-grade movement in the late 50s and early 60s - Cecil Taylor. Not for the faint-hearted, Taylor’s energetic style is often fiercely atonal, employing jarring cluster chords and a dense, polyrhythmic complexity.