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Don is an active accordionist and pianist performing in the New York metropolitan area.  He is a versatile keyboardist who plays various styles ranging from popular American Standards from the American Songbook, Jazz, R&B and Rock N Roll. He performs with various ensembles ranging from duos to large 17 piece jazz bands.  He has performed and accompanied Lenny Welch (hit record “Since I Fell For You”), Joe Piscopo  and has performed at Swing 46 in New York City, White Plains Theatre for the Arts, The Westport Theatre, The Cutting Room, Coney Island Park and other large venues.

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Don starting playing the accordion at age 10 and later studied piano.  During his later teens he studied harmony and theory with Tony Mecca (a native from Waterbury CT) and later, improvisation with Adolph Sandole in New York City.  During this time he started to perform club dates with some of the local leaders in the New York metropolitan area as well as working at resorts in the New York Catskill area.  This “On the job” training helped him hone his improvising skills as well as build his repertoire.  He continued to perform during his college years attending Ithaca College where he joined the national music fraternity Phi Mu Alpha as the first accordionist to be offered an invitation in that chapter.  For the last several years Don has focused on the Free Bass Accordion and exploring its use in the Pop and Jazz Idioms by utilizing its flexibility in chord voicings, bass lines and general accompaniment.

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Currently Don is president of the American Accordionists’ Association.

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