Born in Washington, DC, Herman was raised in the arts-nuturing state of North Carolina. Herman grew up in Church while listening to Mahalia Jackson, Aretha Franklin, and James Cleveland; during these years, he played clarinet, drums, and tuba.  “Music has always been an integral part of my life. Both my parents sing in their church choir, and my father sings bass in an all-male a Capella group.” Herman’s next major influences were Soul, R&B, and hard-core funk during high school; he played the electric bass during that time.“As a teenager, my friends and I started our own bands; we played in the garage, basement, or any place that we could. I even snuck out of the house at night to hear groups like Ramsey Lewis, Brother’s Johnson, Graham Central Station, Earth, Wind, and Fire, and Stevie Wonder!”

Then, in 1987, after a chance meeting with George Duvivier, Herman finally settled on his beloved double bass. “Until then, I had never heard music (especially on a double bass) that required so much honesty and dedication. George showed me that there is no room for pretense in American Classical music (commonly called “Jazz”); if you don’t give yourself completely, your music will show it and your audience will know it.”

A true student and fan of jazz music, Herman often gives his time and effort to the support of future jazz musicians. “Milt Hinton, John Clayton, Bob Cranshaw, Ray Brown, Victor Gaskin, John Heard, Keter Betts, Freddy Cole, George Duvivier, Percy Heath, and Rufus Reid have shared so much with me that it is incumbent upon me to pass it along to others … I can’t just keep that information to myself.” To this end, and when his schedule permits, Herman enjoys working at music camps, presenting workshops, teaching private students, and educating audiences. “Jazz audiences are generally well informed people who MUST be considered at all times; playing in Freddy Cole’s band for over 4yrs really taught me this lesson. Cole taught me to assemble the musical presentation based on audience demographics, NOT necessarily what I want to play. Therefore, as a musician, I am responsible for learning as much music as possible in order to carefully choose songs that positively impact an audience.”

Herman traveled all over the world to establish his impressive list of performance credentials as bassist with Nnenna Freelon, Marcus Roberts, Freddy Cole, Wynton Marsalis, Sonny Fortune, Eric Alexander, Wycliffe Gordon, Rene Marie, Monty Alexander, Natalie Cole, Cedar Walton, and Eric Reed. Herman has also played with Hank Jones, Milt Hinton, Ellis Marsalis, Frank Wess, Carl Allen, and Etta Jones, and many others.

Herman has played jazz venues including the Blue Note, the Village Vanguard, Yoshi’s, Sweet Basil, Iridium, Smoke, Birdland, the Jazz Showcase, the Jazz Bistro, Jazz Alley, the Jazz Bakery, Vartan’s, the Kennedy Center, Alice Tully Hall, the Stanley Kaplan Penthouse at Lincoln Center, and many others.  Internationally, Herman has toured South America, Australia, Europe, Canada, and the Far East. Some festivals include the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, the Cherry Hill Jazz Festival, Detroit Jazz Festival, the JVC Festival, the East Coast Jazz Festival, the Melbourne Arts Festival, the San Javier (Spain) Jazz Festival, the Atlanta Jazz Festival, and the Clearwater Jazz Holiday Festival where Herman’s image was featured on both the 2001 Festival poster and T-shirt.

Herman was an integral part of Freddy Cole’s band for over 4yrs and played on many of his recordings, including “Rio de Janeiro Blue” and the Grammy nominated CD “Merry Go Round”.

Herman created The BassMint in 1996 as an all-bass ensemble for documentation, performance, and education with specific emphasis on the double bass. Herman says “Bass IS the backbone of all Western music … we are the foundation.” Therefore, the BassMint focuses on the history of the double bass, its role in Western music, and its potential. For example, The BassMint paid tribute to Percy Heath in 1997; members included John Heard, Carroll Dashiell, Reginald Veal, and Herman on bass and cello. “We were well received by an enthusiastic audience who left with a different perception of the double bass!”

Herman performs regularly with his own group which ranges from duo to quartet; the group’s composition varies “as the music dictates” but regularly features pianists Harry Pickens, Charles Craig, Vince Evans, or Tommy Gill, drummers Thomas Taylor or Quentin Baxter, and vocalists Melva Houston or Rene Marie.

When asked to describe Herman, John Clayton writes, “Herman has the complete package … he is extremely talented, he possesses a reverence for the music, technical ability, and (to top it off) he is a genuinely fine person. The world needs his music and I am happy to count him among my friends.”

What is it that draws you to Jazz music?

Jazz music forces me to be honest with my feelings, emotions, and life experiences while facing its many challenges at the same time. Jazz music is one of the few places I can be free … free to express my true self; other styles allowed me to ‘hide in the cracks’ too easily.

Who are your musical influences?

Larry Graham, EWF, Brothers Johnson, Stevie Wonder, Sly, Bootsy, Mingus, Monk, Miles, Coltrane, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Monty Alexander, Hank Jones, Marcus Miller, Cannonball, Art Blakey, Brahms, Wynton Marsalis, Eric Reed, Freddy Cole, Nat Cole, Beethoven, Bach, Sweets, Marcus Roberts, Ben Webster, Stanley Turrentine, Cedar Walton, Benny Golson, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Phineas Newborn, Shirley Horn, Andy Bey, Arthur Prysock, Bill Henderson, Ernie Andrews, Mahalia Jackson, Gene Ammons, Gene Harris, and Milt Jackson.

Some bass influences include Jimmy Blanton, Israel Crosby, Oscar Pettiford, Charles Mingus, Paul Chambers, Slam Stewart, Ray Brown, Wilbur Ware, Doug Watkins, Ron Carter, Rufus Reid, Buster Williams, Larry Gales, Sam Jones, Percy Heath, Milt Hinton, Jimmy Woode, Jimmy Garrison, George Duvivier, Richard Davis, Victor Gaskin, Pops Foster, Bob Cranshaw, George Mraz, Christian McBride, Reginald Veal, Bob Hurst, Ray Drummond, Peter Washington, Rodney Whitaker, Andy Simkins, Michael Moore, John Heard, Dwayne Dolphin, John Clayton, Major Holley, Chester Zardis, Leroy Vinegar, Roland Guerin, Larry Ridley, Oscar Zimmerman, Frank Zimmerman, Gary Karr, Clint Houston, Earl May, Francois Rabbath, and Joe Benjamin.

What’s next for your music?

I am currently learning tunes (especially lyrics), composing, arranging for small to big band, working with poets, teaching privately, conducting workshops, and compiling material for my first 2 recording projects.

What is your musical “signature”?