![Andy Butler sitting at piano - black and white](https://i0.wp.com/australianjazz.net/wp-content/uploads/Andy-Butlerbw-1000.png?resize=520%2C400)
Early on I was really into Brad Mehldau and Kurt Rosenwinkel. Rosenwinkel for his tone and compositional sense and Mehldau for his standard playing, which I always found fresh, exploratory and exciting. I never checked either artist out on a technical level, but I did listen prolifically.