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 Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

's band

The Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as the Mothers) were an American rock music, rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an ...

during the late 1960s. He continued to work with Zappa during the early 1970s following the band's split.

Biography

Preston was born into a family of musicians in Detroit 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 Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombone, trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-to ...

Orchestra. 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 The glockenspiel ( ; or , : bells and : play) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a Musical keyboard, keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the v ...

) alongside

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz Flute, flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet ...

. In Trieste he shared a barracks with fellow recruit Buzz Gardner, who introduced him to contemporary classical composers such as

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hunga ...

Anton Webern Anton Webern (; 3 December 1883 – 15 September 1945) was an Austrian composer, conductor, and musicologist. His music was among the most radical of its milieu in its lyric poetry, lyrical, poetic concision and use of then novel atonality, aton ...

Alban Berg Alban Maria Johannes Berg ( ; ; 9 February 1885 – 24 December 1935) was an Austrian composer of the Second Viennese School. His compositional style combined Romantic lyricism with the twelve-tone technique. Although he left a relatively sma ...

and

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first Modernism (music), modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-centu ...

. 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 Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such albums as ''My Fa ...

and others at the city's West End Cafe where

Yusef Lateef Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in the United States. Although Lateef's main i ...

conducted twice-a-week jam sessions with Milt Jackson's brother, bassist Alvin Jackson. Moving to Los Angeles in 1957, Preston played with the Hal McIntyre Orchestra and toured Canada backing

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

. Between 1958 and 1965, Preston played with a number of jazz artists, including Shorty Rogers,

Charlie Haden Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than fifty years. Haden helped to revolutionize the harmonic concept of bass playin ...

Paul Bley Paul Bley, Order of Canada, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a Canadian jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live per ...

, Emil Richards and Paul Beaver. In 1966, Preston began a long collaboration with

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 (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 portrait

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 Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet. Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in comple ...

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 John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

, Peter Erskine and Robby Krieger of

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

. 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." Don has performed with many other artists, including: Lou Rawls,

Al Jarreau Alwin Lopez Jarreau (March 12, 1940 – February 12, 2017) was an American singer and songwriter. His 1981 album '' Breakin' Away'' spent two years on the ''Billboard'' 200 and is considered one of the finest examples of the Los Angeles pop and ...

, Billy Daniels, Johnnie Ray,

Vaughn Monroe Vaughn Wilton Monroe (October 7, 1911 – May 21, 1973) was an American baritone singer, trumpeter and big band leader who was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for recording and another f ...

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero ( ; born December 12, 1937), known as Connie Francis, is a retired American Pop music, pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. She is estimated to have sold more th ...

, Art Davis, Carla Bley,

Joe Beck Joe Beck (July 29, 1945 – July 22, 2008) was an American jazz guitarist who was active for over 40 years. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Beck moved to Manhattan in his teens, playing six nights a week in a trio setting, which gave him an opp ...

Leo Sayer Leo Sayer (born Gerard Hugh Sayer, 21 May 1948) is an English-Australian singer and songwriter who has been active since the early 1970s. He has been an Australian citizen and resident since 2009. Sayer launched his career in the United Kingd ...

, Charles Lloyd, Nelson Riddle, J.R. Monterose,

Flo & Eddie Flo & Eddie is a comedy rock duo consisting of Mark Volman (Flo, short for Phlorescent Leech) and Howard Kaylan (Eddie). Kaylan and Volman were founding members of the mid-to late 1960s rock and pop band the Turtles. After the Turtles dis ...

( Howard Kaylan & Mark Volman of The Turtles), Don Ellis, Bobby Bradford, Michael Mantler and

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

. Don Preston is no relation to the Don Preston who played lead guitar for

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances featuring expressive body movements. Most of his best-known singles, such as "Feelin' Alright ...

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. In 2002, Don Preston joined forces with Frank Zappa alumni 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 Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

and

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

Universities,

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York, United States. Founded as a Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in 1926, Sarah Lawrence College has been coeducational ...

, 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

* 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 Andrea Centazzo (born 1948) is an Italian-born American composer, percussionist, multimedia artist and record label founder. Music career Centazzo was born in Udine, Italy. In the 1970s he played percussion in avant-garde jazz with John Zorn, ...

* 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) * 2001: '' Transformation'' 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

/ The Mothers of Invention/The Mothers * 1967: '' Absolutely Free'' * 1968: '' We're Only in It for the Money'' * 1968: '' Cruising with Ruben & the Jets'' * 1969: '' Mothermania'' * 1969: '' Uncle Meat'' * 1970: '' Burnt Weeny Sandwich'' * 1970: '' Weasels Ripped My Flesh'' * 1971: '' Fillmore East – June 1971'' * 1972: '' Just Another Band from L.A.'' * 1972: '' Waka/Jawaka'' * 1972: '' The Grand Wazoo'' * 1974: '' Roxy & Elsewhere'' * 1985: ''The Old Masters Box One Mystery Disc'' * 1986: ''The Old Masters Box Two Mystery Disc'' * 1988: '' You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1'' * 1989: '' You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3'' * 1991: '' You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4'' * 1992: '' You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5'' * 1992: '' You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6'' * 1992: '' Playground Psychotics'' * 1993: '' Ahead of Their Time'' * 1996: '' The Lost Episodes'' * 2004: '' Quaudiophiliac'' * 1991: '' Beat the Boots: The Ark'' * 1991: '' Beat the Boots: Unmitigated Audacity'' * 1991: '' Beat the Boots: 'Tis the Season to Be Jelly'' * 1992: '' Beat the Boots II: Electric Aunt Jemima'' * 1992: '' Beat the Boots II: Swiss Cheese/Fire!'' * 1992: '' Beat the Boots II: Our Man in Nirvana'' * 2010: ''Greasy Love Songs'' 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

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

Eugene Chadbourne Eugene Chadbourne (born January 4, 1954) is an American banjoist, guitarist and music critic. Life and career Chadbourne was born in Mount Vernon, New York, Mount Vernon, New York, but grew up in Boulder, Colorado. He started playing guitar wh ...

* 1993: ''10 Most Wanted'' * 1994: ''Locked in a Dutch Coffeeshop'' with

Jimmy Carl Black James Inkanish, Jr. (February 1, 1938 – November 1, 2008), known professionally as Jimmy Carl Black, was an original member of the Mothers of Invention, providing drums and vocals. He is known for introducing the songs “ Are you Hung Up?” a ...

With Robby Krieger * 1982: ''

Versions Version may refer to: Computing * Software version, a set of numbers that identify a unique evolution of a computer program * VERSION (CONFIG.SYS directive), a configuration directive in FreeDOS Music * Cover version * Dub version * Remix * Versi ...

'' * 1985: '' 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: '' Permanent Damage'' - The GTOs * 1971: ''The Visit'' - Bob Smith * 1971: '' Escalator over the Hill'' - Carla Bley/ Paul Haines * 1972: '' Some Time in New York City'' -

* 1972: '' The Phlorescent Leech & Eddie'' -

* 1972: '' Geronimo Black'' - Geronimo Black * 1974: '' Satin Doll'' - Bobbi Humphrey * 1979: ''

Eskimo ''Eskimo'' () is a controversial Endonym and exonym, exonym that refers to two closely related Indigenous peoples: Inuit (including the Alaska Native Iñupiat, the Canadian Inuit, and the Greenlandic Inuit) and the Yupik peoples, Yupik (or Sibe ...

'' - The Residents * 1979: ''

Apocalypse Now ''Apocalypse Now'' is a 1979 American psychological epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola, John Milius, and Michael Herr, is loosely inspired by the 1899 novella '' Heart of Darkn ...

'' - Soundtrack * 1989: '' Ivo'' - John Patitucci/ Peter Erskine/ Airto/ Ivo Perelman * 1989: '' Where Flamingos Fly'' - Gil Evans * 1989: ''Aurora'' - Peter Erskine/ Buell Neidlinger * 1992: '' Jefferson Airplane Loves You'' -

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American Rock music, rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1965. One of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the San Francisco Bay Area, ...

* 1999: ''God Shave the Queen'' - Muffin Men * 2003: '' On Time'' - Arthur Barrow * 2011: ''Beyond the Holographic Veil'' - J21

Film scores

*'' Android'' (1982) *'' The Being'' (1983) *'' Night Patrol'' (1984) *'' Eye of the Tiger'' (1986) *'' Blood Diner'' (1987) *'' The Underachievers'' (1987) *''Pucker Up and Bark Like a Dog'' (1989) *Believe in Eve (1991)

References

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