Making It With Terry Wollman

Tariqh Akoni has managed to pack an impressive array of experiences in his 25 years in the music industry. A perpetual student of the art, Tariqh has been a composer, songwriter, studio musician, educator, musical director, multi-instrumentalist and clinician.A native of Santa Barbara, Tariqh studied contemporary classical composition at the University of California at San Diego before deciding to pursue performance at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. A highlight of his experience at Berklee was his private studies with Jazz luminaries Jerry Bergonzi and Rick Peckham.While Berklee occupied Tariqh’s days, he spent his nights accumulating his “10,000 hours” playing in the jazz clubs of Boston. Typically four sets a night, five days a week. It was during this period that Tariqh first toured internationally, living in Thailand, Indonesia and Korea before being introduced to legendary saxophonist Walter Beasley who mentored Tariqh and encouraged him to move out West to pursue his career.Since moving to Los