Steve Thornton, besides being a great percussionist able to work in virtually any category of music, is one of the most honest and generous people I know.Steve is a Brooklyn, New York guy who relocated with his family to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1997. While he misses that aggressive rhythms that were always around him in New York, he does value the safety that he is able to enjoy in the streets of Malaysia. In Malaysia where the penalty for drug possession is death, there isn't the violence associated with the drug dealing that is so much a part of the streets that Steve grew up in.

In an environment where there isn't an over abundance of work for percussionists, Steve suggested to one of the Malaysia producers to bring Ralph MacDonald to that country because Steve was such an admirer of Ralph's work. I remember a time when Steve invited my wife and myself to a rather pricey Thai restaurant in New York. I know Steve wasn't earning that much money but he absolutely insisted on paying the bill. The Yiddish word for a guy like this is Mensch.

I had the chance to speak to Steve Thornton by phone in from Malaysia. Listen to what he had to say about life in Asia.

Listen to what he had to say to me during a recent visit to my house in New Jersey.

To learn more about Steve Thornton, CLICK HERE.