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{{short description|American jazz and rock keyboardist|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{for|the American guitarist|Don Preston (guitarist)}}
{{for-multi|the American guitarist|Don Preston (guitarist)}}
{{BLP sources|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Don Preston
|image = Don_Preston_at_Knuckleheads_Saloon.png
| image = Don preston at the keyboard.jpg|
| caption = Don Preston at <br> [[Knuckleheads Saloon]] in <br> [[Kansas City, Missouri]] <br> August 2, 2012
| name = Don Preston
| caption = Don Preston performing with [[Frank Zappa]] tribute band Project/Object in 2009.
| image_size =
| birth_name = Donald Ward Preston
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1932|9|21|mf=y}}
| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| birth_place = [[Flint, Michigan|Flint]], Michigan, U.S.
| birth_name =
| genre = {{hlist|[[Rock music|Rock]]|[[jazz]]|[[electronic music|electronic]]|[[Experimental music|experimental]]}}
| alias =
| occupation = Musician
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1932|9|21|mf=y}}
| instrument = Keyboards
| birth_place =[[Flint, Michigan]]
| years_active = 1950–present
| death_date =
| past_member_of = [[The Mothers of Invention]]
| origin =
| instrument = [[Piano]], [[keyboard instrument|keyboards]], [[Moog synthesizer]], [[double bass]], drums
| genre = [[Rock music|Rock]], [[jazz]], [[electronic music]], [[Experimental music|experimental]]
| occupation = Band leader, [[session musician]]
| years_active = 1950–present
| label =
| associated_acts = [[Frank Zappa]], [[The Mothers of Invention]]
| website =
| current_members =
| past_members =
| notable_instruments =
}}
}}
'''Donald Ward Preston''' (born September 21, 1932) is an American jazz and rock keyboardist. He is best known for being a member of the original version of [[Frank Zappa]]'s band [[The Mothers of Invention]] during the late 1960s. He continued to work with Zappa during the early 1970s following the band's split.
'''Donald Ward "Don" Preston''', also known as Dom DeWilde or Biff Debrie, is an [[United States|American]] [[jazz]] and [[rock and roll]] [[musician]].


==Biography==
==Biography==
Preston was born into a family of musicians in Detroit<ref>{{cite web|title=Don Preston 15-April-2007 interview|url=https://archive.org/details/Zappa-relatedInterviewsOnOutsightRadioHours|work=Archive.org|accessdate=23 September 2012}}</ref> and began studying music at an early age. His father played saxophone and trumpet, and had been offered the lead trumpet chair in the [[Tommy Dorsey]] Orchestra.<ref>"Necessity Is..: The Early Years of Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention" by Billy James, page 30</ref> Upon moving the family to Detroit, Don's father became the staff arranger for NBC, and was the composer-in-residence for the [[Detroit Symphony Orchestra]]. Don took sporadic lessons on the piano from the age of about five.
Preston was born into a family of musicians in Detroit<ref>{{cite web|title=Don Preston 15-April-2007 interview|url=https://archive.org/details/Zappa-relatedInterviewsOnOutsightRadioHours|work=Archive.org|access-date=September 23, 2012}}</ref> and began studying music at an early age. His father played saxophone and trumpet, and had been offered the lead trumpet chair in the [[Tommy Dorsey]] Orchestra.<ref>Billy james, ''Necessity Is..: The Early Years of Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention'', 2001, p. 30.</ref> Upon moving the family to Detroit, Don's father became the staff arranger for NBC, and was the composer-in-residence for the [[Detroit Symphony Orchestra]]. Don took sporadic lessons on the piano from the age of about five.


In 1950 Preston began a stint in the Army, serving in Trieste, Italy and playing in the Army band (initially piano, bass drum and [[glockenspiel]]) alongside [[Herbie Mann]]. In Trieste he shared a barracks with fellow recruit [[Buzz Gardner]], who introduced him to contemporary classical composers such as [[Bela Bartok]], [[Anton Webern]], [[Alban Berg]] and [[Arnold Schoenberg]]. Preston took up the bass while in the [[Trieste United States Troops|98th Army band]].
In 1950, Preston began a stint in the Army. He served in Trieste, Italy and playing in the Army band (initially piano, bass drum and [[glockenspiel]]) alongside [[Herbie Mann]]. In Trieste he shared a barracks with fellow recruit [[Buzz Gardner]], who introduced him to contemporary classical composers such as [[Béla Bartók]], [[Anton Webern]], [[Alban Berg]] and [[Arnold Schoenberg]]. Preston took up the bass while in the [[Trieste United States Troops|98th Army band]].


Upon his return to Detroit in 1953, Preston started playing bass with pianist [[Tommy Flanagan]]. He also sat in with [[Elvin Jones]] and others at the city's West End Cafe where [[Yusef Lateef]] conducted twice-a-week jam sessions with [[Milt Jackson]]'s brother, bassist [[Alvin Jackson (musician)]]. Moving to Los Angeles in 1957, Preston played with the [[Hal McIntyre]] Orchestra and toured Canada backing [[Nat King Cole]]. Between 1958 and 1965 Preston played with a number of jazz artists, including [[Shorty Rogers]], [[Charlie Haden]], [[Paul Bley]], [[Emil Richards]] and [[Paul Beaver]].
Upon his return to Detroit in 1953, Preston started playing bass with pianist [[Tommy Flanagan]]. He also sat in with [[Elvin Jones]] and others at the city's West End Cafe where [[Yusef Lateef]] conducted twice-a-week jam sessions with [[Milt Jackson]]'s brother, bassist [[Alvin Jackson (musician)|Alvin Jackson]].<ref>{{cite web |title=2007 interview on Outsight Radio Hours |url=https://archive.org/details/Zappa-relatedInterviewsOnOutsightRadioHours |website=Archive.org |access-date=3 July 2019}}</ref> Moving to Los Angeles in 1957, Preston played with the [[Hal McIntyre]] Orchestra and toured Canada backing [[Nat King Cole]]. Between 1958 and 1965, Preston played with a number of jazz artists, including [[Shorty Rogers]], [[Charlie Haden]], [[Paul Bley]], [[Emil Richards]] and [[Paul Beaver]].


[[File:The Mothers of Invention (1968).jpg|thumb|Don Preston (back row, right) with Frank Zappa & The Mothers (1968)]]
in 1966 Preston began a long collaboration with [[Frank Zappa]] as the keyboardist of the original [[The Mothers of Invention|Mothers of Invention]]. Preston performed and recorded with Zappa until 1974. During that time he was music director for [[Meredith Monk]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Slaven|first=Neil|title=Electric Don Quixote : the definitive story of Frank Zappa|year=2003|publisher=Omnibus|location=London|isbn=9780711994362|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4lNRIZm_baQC&dq=%22Meredith+Monk%22+%22Don+Preston%22&q=Meredith+Monk|edition=New |quote=Don Preston went to New Your to work with Meredeth Monk's multi-media musical theater.}}</ref> (with whom he had previously shared a house) and started recording and performing electronic music.
In 1966, Preston began a long collaboration with [[Frank Zappa]] as the keyboardist of the original [[The Mothers of Invention|Mothers of Invention]]. Preston performed and recorded with Zappa until 1974. During that time he was music director for [[Meredith Monk]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Slaven|first=Neil|title=Electric Don Quixote : the definitive story of Frank Zappa|year=2003|publisher=Omnibus|location=London|isbn=9780711994362|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4lNRIZm_baQC&q=Meredith+Monk|edition=New |quote=Don Preston went to New York to work with Meredeth Monk's multi-media musical theater.}}</ref> (with whom he had previously shared a house) and started recording and performing electronic music.


He is a co-founder of the Grandmothers and is still active with the band, completing an extensive tour in 2000 and later tours through 2016.
He is a co-founder of the Grandmothers and toured with them from 2000 through 2016.
[[File:Don preston portrait.jpg|thumb|left|Don Preston 2009]]
[[File:Don preston portrait.jpg|thumb|left|Don Preston 2009]]


Preston also appeared on-stage as a guest keyboardist with the Zappa tribute band Project/Object (featuring Zappa alumni [[Ike Willis]] and [[Napoleon Murphy Brock]]) for several shows in 2001, 2002 and 2016
Preston also appeared on-stage as a guest keyboardist with the Zappa tribute band Project/Object (featuring Zappa alumni [[Ike Willis]] and [[Napoleon Murphy Brock]]) for several shows in 2001, 2002 and 2016.


From his [[Cryptogramophone Records]] biography:
From his [[Cryptogramophone Records]] biography:
"Often compared to [[Cecil Taylor]] for his style of attacking the keys with intense passion, Preston’s solos also reflect intellect, technical skills and a storyteller's way with a line. His playing, like his compositions, ranges across panoramas of mood and emotion, all colored with the freedom that comes from possessing remarkable facility.
"Often compared to [[Cecil Taylor]] for his style of attacking the keys with intense passion, Preston’s solos also reflect intellect, technical skills and a storyteller's way with a line. His playing, like his compositions, ranges across panoramas of mood and emotion, all colored with the freedom that comes from possessing remarkable facility.


Preston has played and recorded with the likes of John Lennon, Peter Erskine and John Carter. He also has scored more than 20 feature films and 14 plays. He's the winner of numerous awards, and has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and London Philharmonic. Known to jazz and keyboard aficionados for his pioneering contributions in the use of synthesizers and piano, legendary clarinetist and composer John Carter dubbed Don Preston the "father of modern synthesis."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.cryptogramophone.com/index.php?module=Crypto&func=artist&id=37 | title = Cryptogramophone bio of Don Preston | publisher = Cryptogramophone | accessdate =November 4, 2012}}</ref>
Preston has played and recorded with the likes of [[John Lennon]], [[Peter Erskine]] and [[Robby Krieger]] of [[The Doors]]. He has also scored more than 20 feature films and 14 plays. He's the winner of numerous awards, and has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and London Philharmonic. Known to jazz and keyboard aficionados for his pioneering contributions in the use of synthesizers, legendary clarinetist and composer [[John Carter (jazz musician)|John Carter]] dubbed Don Preston the "father of modern synthesis."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.cryptogramophone.com/index.php?module=Crypto&func=artist&id=37 | title = Cryptogramophone bio of Don Preston | publisher = Cryptogramophone | access-date = November 4, 2012 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121102124530/http://www.cryptogramophone.com/index.php?module=Crypto&func=artist&id=37 | archive-date = November 2, 2012 }}</ref>


Don has performed with artists like: [[Frank Zappa]], [[Lou Rawls]], [[Al Jarreau]], [[Nat King Cole]], [[Billy Daniels]], [[Johnnie Ray]], [[Vaughn Monroe]], [[Connie Francis]], [[Herbie Mann]], [[Elvin Jones]], [[Charlie Haden]], [[Art Davis]], [[Paul Bley]], [[Carla Bley]], [[Joe Beck]], [[Shorty Rogers]], [[Leo Sayer]], [[Charles Lloyd (jazz musician)|Charles Lloyd]], [[Nelson Riddle]], [[J.R. Monterose]], [[Flo & Eddie]] ([[Howard Kaylan]] & [[Mark Volman]] of [[The Turtles]]) [[Yusef Lateef]], [[Don Ellis]], [[Meredith Monk]], [[Bobby Bradford]], [[Michael Mantler]], [[John Lennon]] and [[Yoko Ono]].
Don has performed with many other artists, including: [[Lou Rawls]], [[Al Jarreau]], [[Billy Daniels]], [[Johnnie Ray]], [[Vaughn Monroe]], [[Connie Francis]], [[Art Davis]], [[Carla Bley]], [[Joe Beck]], [[Leo Sayer]], [[Charles Lloyd (jazz musician)|Charles Lloyd]], [[Nelson Riddle]], [[J.R. Monterose]], [[Flo & Eddie]] ([[Howard Kaylan]] & [[Mark Volman]] of [[The Turtles]]), [[Don Ellis]], [[Bobby Bradford]], [[Michael Mantler]] and [[Yoko Ono]].


Don Preston is no relation to the [[Don Preston (guitarist)|Don Preston]] who played lead guitar for [[Joe Cocker]] and [[Leon Russell]] in the 1970s. However, the former has admitted to accidentally receiving and unwittingly cashing a royalty check intended for the latter some years ago.<ref name = "United">{{cite web| title = Don Preston | publisher = United Mutations | url =
Don Preston is no relation to the [[Don Preston (guitarist)|Don Preston]] who played lead guitar for [[Joe Cocker]] and [[Leon Russell]] in the 1970s. However, the former has admitted to accidentally receiving (and unwittingly cashing) a royalty check intended for the latter some years ago.<ref name = "United">{{cite web| title = Don Preston | publisher = United Mutations | url =http://www.united-mutations.com/p/don_preston.htm | access-date = July 3, 2007 }}</ref>
http://www.united-mutations.com/p/don_preston.htm | accessdate = 2007-07-03 }}</ref>


In 2002, Don Preston joined forces with Frank Zappa alumni Roy Estrada and Napoleon Murphy Brock, along with guitarist Ken Rosser, and drummer/percussionist Christopher Garcia to form the Grande Mothers Re:Invented.
In 2002, Don Preston joined forces with Frank Zappa alumni [[Roy Estrada]] and [[Napoleon Murphy Brock]], along with guitarist Ken Rosser, and drummer/percussionist Christopher Garcia to form the Grande Mothers Re:Invented. They performed at numerous concerts and festivals throughout America, Canada and Europe, including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Germany, Holland, Italy, Norway and Switzerland. In 2005, guitarist, [[Miroslav Tadic]] replaced Ken Rosser in the lineup. Guitarist/bassist Robbie "Seahag" Mangano filled in for Miroslav Tadic on Grande Mothers tours in 2009 and 2010.


Preston has lectured at [[Cornell University|Cornell]], [[Harvard University|Harvard]] and [[Yale University|Yale]] Universities, [[Sarah Lawrence College]], [[University of Arizona|U of A]] and [[University of Belfast|Queen’s University Belfast]].
Since then they have performed at numerous concerts and festivals throughout America, Canada and Europe, including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Germany, Holland, Italy, [[Norway]], and Switzerland. (In 2005, guitarist, Miroslav Tadic replaced Ken Rosser in the lineup.) Guitarist/Bassist Robbie "Seahag" Mangano has filled in for Miroslav Tadic on Grande Mothers tours in 2009 and 2010, and Tom Fowler is scheduled to replace Roy Estrada.
Recently Preston has lectured at Cornell, Harvard, Yale, Sarah Laurence, University of Arizona, and the University of Belfast.


In 2010 Preston, together with his lifelong friend [[Bunk Gardner]], started a collaboration with guitar player/composer [[Jon Larsen]] and [[Zonic Entertainment]]. The first recordings were an audio-autobiographical production, ''[[The Don Preston Story]]'', followed by the electronic music, contemporary space drama ''[[Colliding Galaxies]]''. Preston released his own book entitled "Listen". At this time Preston and Bunk Gardner began touring as the Don & Bunk Show and have two tours under their belt in the eastern part of the US. They are now touring as a trio with Chris Garcia as The Grandmothers Of Invention. Preston is now writing the music for the film "Dancing With Were-wolves." which will be released in July 2016.
In 2010, Preston, together with his lifelong friend [[Bunk Gardner]], started a collaboration with guitar player/composer [[Jon Larsen]] and Zonic Entertainment. The first recordings were an audio-autobiographical production, ''The Don Preston Story'', followed by the electronic music, contemporary space drama ''Colliding Galaxies''. Preston released his own book entitled "Listen". At this time, Preston and Bunk Gardner began touring as the Don & Bunk Show and have two tours under their belt in the eastern part of the US. They are now touring as a trio with Chris Garcia as The Grandmothers Of Invention. Preston wrote the music for the film ''Dancing With Were-wolves'', which was released in July 2016.


==Discography==
==Discography==
* 1992: ''Dom De Wilde Speaks''
===Solo===
* 1992: ''Dom De Wilde speaks'' (interview)
* 1993: ''Vile Foamy Ectoplasm''
* 1997: ''Hear Me Out''
* 1993: ''Vile Foamy Ectoplasm'' (jazz, rock, electronic)
* 1997: ''Hear Me Out'' (solo piano)
* 2001: ''Io Landscapes''
* 2001: ''Io Landscapes'' (experimental/electronic)
* 2001: ''Corpus Transfixum''
* 2001: ''Corpus Transfixum'' (software photo album w/music)
* 2001: ''Music from Blood Diner & Other Films''
* 2002: ''Transcendence''
* 2001: ''Music from Blood Diner & other films'' (film scores)
* 2004: ''Aysymetrical Construct'' with [[Bobby Bradford]] and [[Elliot Levine]]
* 2002: ''Transcendence'' (meditation music)
* 2007: ''Vile Foamy Ectoplasm'' (expanded from 1993)
* 2004: ''Aysymetrical Construct'' (experimental jazz with [[Bobby Bradford]] & [[Elliot Levine]])
* 2009: ''26 Pieces for Piano & Violin'' with Harry Scorzo
* 2007: ''Works'' (compilation)
* 2007: ''Vile Foamy Ectoplasm'' (greatly expanded from 1993)
* 2009: ''26 Pieces For Piano & Violin'' (with Harry Scorzo)
* 2010: ''Colliding Galaxys'' (Zonic Entertainment)
* 2010: ''Colliding Galaxys'' (Zonic Entertainment)
* 2011: ''Escape From 2012'' (electronic music with percussionist [[Andrea Centazzo]])
* 2011: ''Escape from 2012'' with percussionist [[Andrea Centazzo]]
* 2012: ''The Don Preston Story'' (with Jon Larsen, interview)
* 2012: ''The Don Preston Story'' with [[Jon Larsen]], interview
* 2012: ''Filters, Oscillators & Envelopes 1967-1982'' (archival electronic works)
* 2012: ''Filters, Oscillators & Envelopes 1967–1982''
* 2014: ''Out Of The Vault'' (compilation)


===As Don Preston Trio (with [[Joel Hamilton]] and [[Alex Cline]])===
'''As Don Preston Trio (with [[Joel Hamilton]] and [[Alex Cline]])'''
* 2001: ''[[Transformation (Don Preston album)|Transformation]]''
* 2001: ''[[Transformation (Don Preston album)|Transformation]]''

===As Don Preston's Akashic Ensemble===
'''As Don Preston's Akashic Ensemble'''
* 2003: ''Inner Realities Of Evolution''
* 2003: ''Inner Realities of Evolution''
* 2005: ''Tetragrammaton''
* 2005: ''Tetragrammaton''

===As The Don & Bunk Show (with [[Bunk Gardner]])===
'''As The Don & Bunk Show (with [[Bunk Gardner]])'''
* 2000: ''Necessity Is...''
* 2000: ''Necessity Is...''
* 2002: ''Joined At The Hip''
* 2002: ''Joined at the Hip''
* 2014: ''The Don and Bunk Show''
* 2014: ''The Don and Bunk Show''

===With [[Frank Zappa]]/[[The Mothers of Invention|The Mothers of Invention/The Mothers]]===
'''With [[Frank Zappa]]/[[The Mothers of Invention|The Mothers of Invention/The Mothers]]'''
* 1967: ''[[Absolutely Free]]''
* 1967: ''[[Absolutely Free]]''
* 1968: ''[[We're Only In It For The Money]]''
* 1968: ''[[We're Only in It for the Money]]''
* 1968: ''[[Cruising with Ruben & the Jets]]''
* 1968: ''[[Cruising with Ruben & the Jets]]''
* 1969: ''[[Mothermania]]''
* 1969: ''[[Mothermania]]''
Line 92: Line 83:
* 1970: ''[[Burnt Weeny Sandwich]]''
* 1970: ''[[Burnt Weeny Sandwich]]''
* 1970: ''[[Weasels Ripped My Flesh]]''
* 1970: ''[[Weasels Ripped My Flesh]]''
* 1971: ''[[Fillmore East - June 1971]]''
* 1971: ''[[Fillmore East – June 1971]]''
* 1972: ''[[Just Another Band From L.A.]]''
* 1972: ''[[Just Another Band from L.A.]]''
* 1972: ''[[Waka/Jawaka]]''
* 1972: ''[[Waka/Jawaka]]''
* 1972: ''[[The Grand Wazoo]]''
* 1972: ''[[The Grand Wazoo]]''
* 1974: ''[[Roxy & Elsewhere]]''
* 1974: ''[[Roxy & Elsewhere]]''
* 1985: ''[[The Old Masters Box One Mystery Disc]]''
* 1985: ''The Old Masters Box One Mystery Disc''
* 1986: ''[[The Old Masters Box Two Mystery Disc]]''
* 1986: ''The Old Masters Box Two Mystery Disc''
* 1988: ''[[You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Sampler]]''
* 1988: ''[[You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1]]''
* 1988: ''[[You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1]]''
* 1989: ''[[You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3]]''
* 1989: ''[[You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3]]''
Line 106: Line 96:
* 1992: ''[[You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6]]''
* 1992: ''[[You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6]]''
* 1992: ''[[Playground Psychotics]]''
* 1992: ''[[Playground Psychotics]]''
* 1993: ''[[Ahead Of Their Time]]''
* 1993: ''[[Ahead of Their Time]]''
* 1996: ''[[The Lost Episodes]]''
* 1996: ''[[The Lost Episodes]]''
* 2004: ''[[QuAUDIOPHILIAc]]''
* 2004: ''[[Quaudiophiliac]]''
* 1991: ''[[Beat the Boots]]: The Ark''
* 1991: ''[[Beat the Boots]]: The Ark''
* 1991: ''[[Beat the Boots]]: Unmitigated Audacity''
* 1991: ''[[Beat the Boots]]: Unmitigated Audacity''
* 1991: ''[[Beat the Boots]]: 'Tis The Season To Be Jelly''
* 1991: ''[[Beat the Boots]]: 'Tis the Season to Be Jelly''
* 1992: ''[[Beat the Boots II]]: Electric Aunt Jemima''
* 1992: ''[[Beat the Boots II]]: Electric Aunt Jemima''
* 1992: ''[[Beat the Boots II]]: Swiss Cheese / Fire!''
* 1992: ''[[Beat the Boots II]]: Swiss Cheese/Fire!''
* 1992: ''[[Beat the Boots II]]: Our Man In Nirvana''
* 1992: ''[[Beat the Boots II]]: Our Man in Nirvana''
* 2010: ''Greasy Love Songs''
* 2010: ''Greasy Love Songs''


===With [[The Mothers of Invention|The Grandmothers]]===
'''With The Grandmothers'''
* 1981: ''The Grandmothers''
* 1981: ''The Grandmothers''
* 1982: ''[[Looking Up Granny's Dress]]''
* 1982: ''Looking Up Granny's Dress''
* 1983: ''[[Fan Club Talk Lp]]''
* 1983: ''Fan Club Talk LP''
* 1994: ''[[Who Could Imagine]]''
* 1994: ''Who Could Imagine''
* 2001: ''[[Eating The Astoria]]''
* 2001: ''Eating the Astoria''
* 2001: ''[[20 Year Anthology of the Grandmothers]]''
* 2001: ''20 Year Anthology of the Grandmothers''
* 2001: ''The Eternal Question''
* 2001: ''The Eternal Question''
* 2003: ''[[A Grande Mothers Night At The Gewandhaus with Napoleon Murphy Brock and Roy Estrada]]''
* 2003: ''A Grandmothers Night at The Gewandhaus''
* 2014: ''Live in Bremen''
===As a guest on other people's albums===
* 2018: ''Free Energy''

===As a guest===
'''With [[Ant-Bee]]'''
* 1993: ''The *#!%%? of Ant-Bee – Rarities Vol. 3''
* 1993: ''Snorks and Wheezes''
* 1994: ''The Bizarre German E.P.''
* 1994: ''[[With My Favorite "Vegetables" & Other Bizarre Muzik]]''
* 1997: ''[[Lunar Muzik]]''
* 2011: ''[[Electronic Church Muzik]]''

'''With [[John Carter (jazz musician)|John Carter]]'''
* 1987: ''Dance of the Love Ghost''
* 1988: ''Shadows on a Wall''
* 1989: ''Comin' On''
* 1990: ''Fields''

'''With [[Eugene Chadbourne]]'''
* 1993: ''10 Most Wanted''
* 1994: ''Locked in a Dutch Coffeeshop'' with [[Jimmy Carl Black]]

'''With [[Robby Krieger]]'''
* 1982: ''[[Versions (Robby Krieger album)|Versions]]''
* 1985: ''[[Robby Krieger (album)|Robby Krieger]]''

'''With [[Michael Mantler]]'''
* 1985: ''Alien''
* 1987: ''Live''
* 1996: ''The School of Understanding''

'''With Sandro Oliva'''
* 1995: ''Who the Fuck Is Sandro Oliva''
* 2004: ''Heavy Lightning''

'''With Sixstep'''
* 2013: "I'm Not an Atheist (Yet)" (single)
* 2013: "Hear No Evil"

'''With others'''
* 1969: ''[[Trout Mask Replica]]'' - [[Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band]]
* 1969: ''[[Trout Mask Replica]]'' - [[Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band]]
* 1969: ''[[Permanent Damage]]'' - [[The GTOs]]
* 1969: ''[[Permanent Damage]]'' - [[The GTOs]]
* 1971: ''[[The Visit (Bob Smith album)|The Visit]]'' - [[Bob Smith (musician)|Bob Smith]]
* 1971: ''The Visit'' - Bob Smith
* 1971: ''[[Escalator Over The Hill]]'' - [[Carla Bley]]/[[Paul Haines (poet)|Paul Haines]]
* 1971: ''[[Escalator over the Hill]]'' - [[Carla Bley]]/[[Paul Haines (poet)|Paul Haines]]
* 1972: ''[[Some Time in New York City]]'' - [[John Lennon]]
* 1972: ''[[Some Time in New York City]]'' - [[John Lennon]]
* 1972: ''[[The Phlorescent Leech & Eddie]]'' - [[Flo & Eddie]]
* 1972: ''[[The Phlorescent Leech & Eddie]]'' - [[Flo & Eddie]]
Line 136: Line 165:
* 1974: ''[[Satin Doll (album)|Satin Doll]]'' - [[Bobbi Humphrey]]
* 1974: ''[[Satin Doll (album)|Satin Doll]]'' - [[Bobbi Humphrey]]
* 1979: ''[[Eskimo (album)|Eskimo]]'' - [[The Residents]]
* 1979: ''[[Eskimo (album)|Eskimo]]'' - [[The Residents]]
* 19??: ''[[Versions (Robby Krieger album)|Versions]]'' - [[Robby Krieger]]
* 19??: ''[[Robby Krieger (album)|Robby Krieger]]'' - Robby Krieger
* 1979: ''[[Apocalypse Now]]'' - Soundtrack
* 1979: ''[[Apocalypse Now]]'' - Soundtrack
* 1982: "[[Music from the 21st Century]]" - electronic music compilation
* 1985: ''Alien'' - [[Michael Mantler]]
* 1987: ''[[Dance Of The Love Ghost]]'' - [[John Carter (jazz musician)|John Carter]]
* 1987: ''[[Live (Don Preston)|Live]]'' - [[Michael Mantler]]/[[Nick Mason]]
* 1988: ''[[Shadows On A Wall]]'' - [[John Carter (jazz musician)|John Carter]]
* 1989: ''[[Comin' On]]'' - [[Bobby Bradford]]/[[John Carter (jazz musician)|John Carter Quintet]]
* 1988: ''[[Shadows On A Wall]]'' - [[John Carter (jazz musician)|John Carter]]/[[Bobby Bradford]]
* 1989: ''[[Ivo]]'' - [[John Patitucci]]/[[Peter Erskine]]/[[Airto]]/[[Ivo Perelman]]
* 1989: ''[[Ivo]]'' - [[John Patitucci]]/[[Peter Erskine]]/[[Airto]]/[[Ivo Perelman]]
* 1989: ''[[Where Flamingos Fly]]'' - [[Gil Evans]]
* 1989: ''[[Where Flamingos Fly]]'' - [[Gil Evans]]
* 1989: ''Aurora'' - [[Peter Erskine]]/[[Buell Neidlinger]]
* 1989: ''Aurora'' - Peter Erskine/[[Buell Neidlinger]]
* 1990: ''Fields - [[John Carter (jazz musician)|John Carter]]
* 1992: ''[[Jefferson Airplane Loves You (album)|Jefferson Airplane Loves You]]'' - [[Jefferson Airplane]]
* 1992: ''[[Jefferson Airplane Loves You (album)|Jefferson Airplane Loves You]]'' - [[Jefferson Airplane]]
* 1991: ''[[Ono Box]] - [[Yoko Ono]]
* 1999: ''God Shave the Queen'' - [[Muffin Men]]
* 1993: ''[[10 Most Wanted (Eugene Chadbourne album)|10 Most Wanted]]'' - [[Eugene Chadbourne]]
* 1993: ''[[Snorks And Wheezes]]'' - [[Ant-Bee]]
* 1993: ''[[The *#!%%? of Ant-Bee - Rarities vol.3]]'' - [[Ant-Bee]]
* 1994: ''[[The Bizarre German E.P.]]'' - [[Ant-Bee]]
* 1994: ''[[With My Favorite "Vegetables" & Other Bizarre Muzik]]'' - [[Ant-Bee]]
* 1994: ''[[Locked In A Dutch Coffeeshop]]'' - [[Eugene Chadbourne]]/[[Jimmy Carl Black]]
* 1995: ''[[Who the fuck is Sandro Oliva]]'' - [[Sandro Oliva]]
* 1996: ''The School of Understanding'' - [[Michael Mantler]]
* 1997: ''[[Lunar Muzik]]'' - [[Ant-Bee]]
* 1999: ''[[God Shave The Queen]]'' - [[Muffin Men|The Muffin Men]]
* 2003: ''[[On Time]]'' - [[Arthur Barrow]]
* 2003: ''[[On Time]]'' - [[Arthur Barrow]]
* 2004: ''[[Heavy Lightning]]'' - [[Sandro Oliva]]
* 2011: ''Beyond the Holographic Veil'' - J21
* 2011: ''[[Beyond the holographic veil]]'' - J21
* 2011: ''[[Electronic Church Muzik]]'' - [[Ant-Bee]]
* 2013: "[[I'm Not An Atheist (Yet) Single]]" - [[Sixstep]]
* 2013: "[[Hear No Evil (Sixstep album)|Hear No Evil]]" - [[Sixstep]]


==Filmography==
==Film scores==
* 1959: ''[[Forbidden Island]]''
*''[[Android (film)|Android]]'' (1982)
* 1969: ''[[Ogo Moto]]''
*''[[The Being]]'' (1983)
* 1970: ''[[200 Motels]]''
*''[[Night Patrol]]'' (1984)
*''[[Eye of the Tiger (film)|Eye of the Tiger]]'' (1986)
* 1971: ''[[Wraith In The Photograph]]''
* 1974: ''[[Sinister Flesh]]''
*''[[Blood Diner]]'' (1987)
*''[[The Underachievers (film)|The Underachievers]]'' (1987)
*''Pucker Up and Bark Like a Dog'' (1989)
*Believe in Eve (1991)


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist|30em}}


{{Ant-Bee}}
{{Ant-Bee}}
{{Ruben and the Jets}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Preston, Don}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preston, Don}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American male organists]]
[[Category:American rock keyboardists]]
[[Category:American jazz pianists]]
[[Category:American rock pianists]]
[[Category:American rock pianists]]
[[Category:American male jazz pianists]]
[[Category:Musicians from Flint, Michigan]]
[[Category:Musicians from Flint, Michigan]]
[[Category:The Mothers of Invention members]]
[[Category:The Mothers of Invention members]]
[[Category:20th-century American pianists]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from Michigan]]
[[Category:21st-century American keyboardists]]
[[Category:21st-century American organists]]
[[Category:20th-century American keyboardists]]

Latest revision as of 20:12, 10 November 2024

For the American guitarist, see Don Preston (guitarist).
Don Preston
Don Preston performing with Frank Zappa tribute band Project/Object in 2009.
Don Preston performing with Frank Zappa tribute band Project/Object in 2009.
Background information
Birth nameDonald Ward Preston
Born (1932-09-21) September 21, 1932 (age 92)
Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Genres
OccupationMusician
InstrumentKeyboards
Years active1950–present
Formerly ofThe Mothers of Invention

Donald Ward Preston (born September 21, 1932) is an American jazz and rock keyboardist. He is best known for being a member of the original version of Frank Zappa's band The Mothers of Invention during the late 1960s. He continued to work with Zappa during the early 1970s following the band's split.

Biography

[edit]

Preston was born into a family of musicians in Detroit[1] and began studying music at an early age. His father played saxophone and trumpet, and had been offered the lead trumpet chair in the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra.[2] Upon moving the family to Detroit, Don's father became the staff arranger for NBC, and was the composer-in-residence for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Don took sporadic lessons on the piano from the age of about five.

In 1950, Preston began a stint in the Army. He served in Trieste, Italy and playing in the Army band (initially piano, bass drum and glockenspiel) alongside Herbie Mann. In Trieste he shared a barracks with fellow recruit Buzz Gardner, who introduced him to contemporary classical composers such as Béla Bartók, Anton Webern, Alban Berg and Arnold Schoenberg. Preston took up the bass while in the 98th Army band.

Upon his return to Detroit in 1953, Preston started playing bass with pianist Tommy Flanagan. He also sat in with Elvin Jones and others at the city's West End Cafe where Yusef Lateef conducted twice-a-week jam sessions with Milt Jackson's brother, bassist Alvin Jackson.[3] Moving to Los Angeles in 1957, Preston played with the Hal McIntyre Orchestra and toured Canada backing Nat King Cole. Between 1958 and 1965, Preston played with a number of jazz artists, including Shorty Rogers, Charlie Haden, Paul Bley, Emil Richards and Paul Beaver.

Don Preston (back row, right) with Frank Zappa & The Mothers (1968)

In 1966, Preston began a long collaboration with Frank Zappa as the keyboardist of the original Mothers of Invention. Preston performed and recorded with Zappa until 1974. During that time he was music director for Meredith Monk[4] (with whom he had previously shared a house) and started recording and performing electronic music.

He is a co-founder of the Grandmothers and toured with them from 2000 through 2016.

Don Preston 2009

Preston also appeared on-stage as a guest keyboardist with the Zappa tribute band Project/Object (featuring Zappa alumni Ike Willis and Napoleon Murphy Brock) for several shows in 2001, 2002 and 2016.

From his Cryptogramophone Records biography: "Often compared to Cecil Taylor for his style of attacking the keys with intense passion, Preston’s solos also reflect intellect, technical skills and a storyteller's way with a line. His playing, like his compositions, ranges across panoramas of mood and emotion, all colored with the freedom that comes from possessing remarkable facility.

Preston has played and recorded with the likes of John Lennon, Peter Erskine and Robby Krieger of The Doors. He has also scored more than 20 feature films and 14 plays. He's the winner of numerous awards, and has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and London Philharmonic. Known to jazz and keyboard aficionados for his pioneering contributions in the use of synthesizers, legendary clarinetist and composer John Carter dubbed Don Preston the "father of modern synthesis."[5]

Don has performed with many other artists, including: Lou Rawls, Al Jarreau, Billy Daniels, Johnnie Ray, Vaughn Monroe, Connie Francis, Art Davis, Carla Bley, Joe Beck, Leo Sayer, Charles Lloyd, Nelson Riddle, J.R. Monterose, Flo & Eddie (Howard Kaylan & Mark Volman of The Turtles), Don Ellis, Bobby Bradford, Michael Mantler and Yoko Ono.

Don Preston is no relation to the Don Preston who played lead guitar for Joe Cocker and Leon Russell in the 1970s. However, the former has admitted to accidentally receiving (and unwittingly cashing) a royalty check intended for the latter some years ago.[6]

In 2002, Don Preston joined forces with Frank Zappa alumni Roy Estrada and Napoleon Murphy Brock, along with guitarist Ken Rosser, and drummer/percussionist Christopher Garcia to form the Grande Mothers Re:Invented. They performed at numerous concerts and festivals throughout America, Canada and Europe, including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Germany, Holland, Italy, Norway and Switzerland. In 2005, guitarist, Miroslav Tadic replaced Ken Rosser in the lineup. Guitarist/bassist Robbie "Seahag" Mangano filled in for Miroslav Tadic on Grande Mothers tours in 2009 and 2010.

Preston has lectured at Cornell, Harvard and Yale Universities, Sarah Lawrence College, U of A and Queen’s University Belfast.

In 2010, Preston, together with his lifelong friend Bunk Gardner, started a collaboration with guitar player/composer Jon Larsen and Zonic Entertainment. The first recordings were an audio-autobiographical production, The Don Preston Story, followed by the electronic music, contemporary space drama Colliding Galaxies. Preston released his own book entitled "Listen". At this time, Preston and Bunk Gardner began touring as the Don & Bunk Show and have two tours under their belt in the eastern part of the US. They are now touring as a trio with Chris Garcia as The Grandmothers Of Invention. Preston wrote the music for the film Dancing With Were-wolves, which was released in July 2016.

Discography

[edit]
  • 1992: Dom De Wilde Speaks
  • 1993: Vile Foamy Ectoplasm
  • 1997: Hear Me Out
  • 2001: Io Landscapes
  • 2001: Corpus Transfixum
  • 2001: Music from Blood Diner & Other Films
  • 2002: Transcendence
  • 2004: Aysymetrical Construct with Bobby Bradford and Elliot Levine
  • 2007: Vile Foamy Ectoplasm (expanded from 1993)
  • 2009: 26 Pieces for Piano & Violin with Harry Scorzo
  • 2010: Colliding Galaxys (Zonic Entertainment)
  • 2011: Escape from 2012 with percussionist Andrea Centazzo
  • 2012: The Don Preston Story with Jon Larsen, interview
  • 2012: Filters, Oscillators & Envelopes 1967–1982

As Don Preston Trio (with Joel Hamilton and Alex Cline)

As Don Preston's Akashic Ensemble

  • 2003: Inner Realities of Evolution
  • 2005: Tetragrammaton

As The Don & Bunk Show (with Bunk Gardner)

  • 2000: Necessity Is...
  • 2002: Joined at the Hip
  • 2014: The Don and Bunk Show

With Frank Zappa/The Mothers of Invention/The Mothers

With The Grandmothers

  • 1981: The Grandmothers
  • 1982: Looking Up Granny's Dress
  • 1983: Fan Club Talk LP
  • 1994: Who Could Imagine
  • 2001: Eating the Astoria
  • 2001: 20 Year Anthology of the Grandmothers
  • 2001: The Eternal Question
  • 2003: A Grandmothers Night at The Gewandhaus
  • 2014: Live in Bremen
  • 2018: Free Energy

As a guest

[edit]

With Ant-Bee

With John Carter

  • 1987: Dance of the Love Ghost
  • 1988: Shadows on a Wall
  • 1989: Comin' On
  • 1990: Fields

With Eugene Chadbourne

With Robby Krieger

With Michael Mantler

  • 1985: Alien
  • 1987: Live
  • 1996: The School of Understanding

With Sandro Oliva

  • 1995: Who the Fuck Is Sandro Oliva
  • 2004: Heavy Lightning

With Sixstep

  • 2013: "I'm Not an Atheist (Yet)" (single)
  • 2013: "Hear No Evil"

With others

Film scores

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Don Preston 15-April-2007 interview". Archive.org. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  2. ^ Billy james, Necessity Is..: The Early Years of Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention, 2001, p. 30.
  3. ^ "2007 interview on Outsight Radio Hours". Archive.org. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  4. ^ Slaven, Neil (2003). Electric Don Quixote : the definitive story of Frank Zappa (New ed.). London: Omnibus. ISBN 9780711994362. Don Preston went to New York to work with Meredeth Monk's multi-media musical theater.
  5. ^ "Cryptogramophone bio of Don Preston". Cryptogramophone. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  6. ^ "Don Preston". United Mutations. Retrieved July 3, 2007.
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