|
Last summer Don's light-hearted lecture/concert performances were so popular with River Barge's "Missouri River Excursion" guests, that he will be returning in August for several more engagements. Look for Don at Silver Dollar City's (Branson, Missouri) "GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC FESTIVAL in May 2000, where he delights youngsters and oldsters alike with his wonderfully entertaining show featuring songs and music of the ragtime era.
All this excitement comes on the heels of a very successful engagement at HARRAH'S HOTEL AND CASINO in Las Vegas, Nevada, and a very impressive series of performances aboard the SEABOURN CRUISE LINE'S, Seabourn Pride (where he received a passenger approval rating of 9.3 out of 10).
This follows a fantastic two-year run with the RAGTIME LIL & BANJO-BANJO show in Branson, Missouri. As one of the featured entertainers he consistently thrilled audiences with brilliant renditions of many traditional Ragtime favorites such as "The Maple Leaf Rag", "Twelfth Street Rag", and other well known tunes and novelty songs.
Prior to the Branson engagement, Don performed by special invitation to record breaking crowds at the internationally acclaimed MONTREAL JAZZ FESTIVAL (1995) which was recorded as the world's largest jazz festival in history with more than 1.5 million spectators. Don's extraordinary ability to present traditional ragtime, swing, dixieland and traditional jazz in a rich, clean style reminiscent of musical greats such as Fats Waller, Jellyroll Morton and James P. Johnson, just to name a few.
Despite humble beginnings (Don began playing at the age of seven and taught himself to play by ear at the age of twelve by listening to piano rolls and other recordings), many hours of classical training, hard work and more than 20 years as a professional performer have resulted in Don becoming one of the best loved ragtime piano players in both America and his homeland of Canada.
As band leader Don saw his traditional jazz group, "The French Quarter", grow in popularity during the 1980's througout the United States and Canada he has proven this talented performer can delight any audience, anywhere.
Don plays regular engagements at the DIAMOND BELLE SALOON, at the Historic Strater Hotel, in Durango, Colorado. (see http://www.strater.com for his performance schedule!)During his stints at this authentic "Wild West Saloon", regular patrons and visitors alike are enthralled with his vivid re-creation of an "old time" saloon piano player and are constantly amazed by the repertoire of literally hundreds of songs which he plays and sings. He has been known to raise many a toast at the Belle, much to the pleasure of the patrons.
Even though he is in high demand, Don is always looking for new and exciting places where he can "show off" his wonderful talent. He is a performer packed with pizazz and crowd appeal, professionally packaged in a rich and authentic style.
|
|
