You mention Lennie Tristano as an influence. Have you done any formal piano study with him or any other teacher in this country?

Not really. I've listened to Tristano a lot and once went to him for a criticism of my playing. Boy! He really gave it to me. He said, rather cynically, something like: "If you want to be a romantic player who doesn't keep strict time and lets the time wander, I suppose that's all right. But if you want to play with good time, go home and start practicing with a metronome."