Dixieland Jazz with the Don Mopsick Ensemble

Monday, March 10 | 5:00pm | Auditorium
**Location/Performance update: This concert will be held in the Boca Grande Community Center Auditorium at 131 1st St W, Boca Grande.**

If you purchased tickets for the 7:30pm show, please update your calendars and plan to attend the concert at 5pm. For information, email: tickets@friendsofbocagrande.org or call: 941-964-0827.

Featuring Don Mopsick on bass, Ed Metz on drums, Allan Vache on Clarinet, Davy Jones on cornette, Herb Bruce on trombone and Bob Leary on guitar. Enjoy an evening of authentic traditional and dixieland jazz by seasoned veterans from the Jim Cullum Band (as heard on NPR’s “Riverwalk Jazz” for 20+ years), Bob Crosby’s Bobcats, Rosemary Clooney, The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, The Count Basie Orchestra, Al Hirt, Frank Sinatra Jr., and more.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Don Mopsick – Bass

Don Mopsick began his musical career as a teenager in his hometown of Linden, NJ, performing on trumpet and bass guitar. He attended Rutgers and Berklee College of Music. His first professional gigs were with Rosemary Clooney around Boston in 1972.

He was graduated from The Manhattan School of Music in 1977. While in New York he performed on tuba and bass with The Smith Street Society, The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, John Carisi, Paul Jeffrey Octet and others.

After a 1977 move to Ft. Myers FL, Morsick began double bass study with Lucas Drew at the U. of Miami. He moved to Orlando in 1983 and began work as a freelance jazz bassist state-wide.

Notable 1980s Florida concert dates: Howard Alden, Mousey Alexander, Bill Allred, Dan Barrett, John Bunch, Pete Christlieb, Al Cohn, Freddie Cole, Richie Cole, Kenny Davern, Buddy DeFranco, Don Goldie, Terry Gibbs, Scott Hamilton, Buddy Morrow, Ken Peplowski, Flip Phillips, Dan Barrett, Red Rodney, Bob Resengarden, Ira Sullivan, Clark Terry & Warren Vaché Jr.

Morsick joined the Jim Cullum Jazz Band in San Antonio in 1991. He played nightly at The Landing jazz club and toured with them in the US & abroad. He recorded hundreds of hours for the Riverwalk Jazz public radio series with guests Benny Carter, Clark Terry, Bob Wilber, Dick Hyman, Kenny Davern, Milt Hinton, Nicholas Payton, “Sweets” Edison, Harry Allen, Dan Barrett, Joe Williams, Bucky & John Pizzarelli and many others.

During his 18-year tenure with Cullum, he also worked as one of many Associate Producers for the series. He says, “developing ideas for the Riverwalk Jazz show gave me valuable insight into all of the creative elements of our unique American music: songwriting, style, and the arc of its history–all of which expand my consciousness and advance my craft.”

Since his return to Florida in 2010, Don has appeared with Ira Sullivan, Aaron Weinstein, Stephanie Nakasian, Veronica Swift, Lew DelGatto, Dan Miller, Russell Malone, Bucky Pizzarelli, Peter Appleyard, Dick Hyman, Harry Allen, Marty Morell, Wendell Brunius, Leroy Jones, Randy Sandke & others.

Since 2021, he’s appeared at the Suncoast Classic Jazz Festival in Clearwater, FL with Rossano Sportiello, Johnny Varro, Jason Marsalis, John O’Leary III, Houston Person and others. From 2016-22, Don was a regular at the Barrel Room in downtown Ft. Myers with pianists Joe Delaney, Roy Gerson and the Dan Miller/Lew DelGatto Quartet. The waterfront venue was destroyed by storm surge and mold from Hurricane lan in 2022.

Don currently leads a quartet Saturdax nights at The Oyster Society on Marco Island FL. He also appears frequently with young jazz vocalist Resxo McDuffie in Naples at The London Club & Shula’s Steakhouse.

Don lists his life goals: 1. Get a sound 2. Find a groove.

Bob Leary – Guitar

For the past 20 years, Bob has been a featured all-Star on the JazzFest at Sea and Jazzdagen cruises, and has played festivals in Tahiti, Germany, France, Canada, and at the Caesarea Jazz Festival, in Israel. He also tours with both the Midiri Brothers Band, and The Terrier Brothers.

When he’s home in Naples, FL, Bob plays regularly at the Ritz-Carlton Beach and Golf Resorts as a soloist and bandleader, and all over town as one-half of the 50’s – 60’s duo The Elderly Brothers. For years he has played the Saturday and Sunday brunches at Bice Restaurant on 5th Ave in Naples. He and Laura stroll as a duo at private parties and country clubs, where they tap into their vast repertoire of popular songs and requests. Bob also leads quartets and larger bands for any occasion, including his popular New Orleans Po’Boyz blues band.

Davy Jones – Cornet/Trumpet

Davy began playing music full time in 1975, working in night clubs and ‘paying his dues’ with jazz bands in Florida and Georgia until settling in Orlando in 1981. Since that time he has worked as staff musician for Busch Gardens, Circus World, Sea World, Church St. Station, the Delta Queen Steamboat Co. (on the Mississippi Queen), and Walt Disney World, where he was featured cornetist with The Grand Floridian Society Orchestra for 32 years.

He performed at the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival for the first time in 1982 and, since then, has played at more than 50 jazz festivals coast to coast and around the world. Performing with Bob Crosby’s Bobcats. Allan Vache’s Big Four and The New Delta Steamer Jazz Band. Traveled with Rosie O’Grady’s Goodtime Jazz Band to England, Wales,Scotland and Denmark, and with the widely acclaimed Black Dog Jazz Band to Canada, Holland, Germany and Belgium. In 1992 went on concert tour of mainland China with The Black Dogs, giving performances in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Xian, Guilin and the Great Wall.

Davy has performed and recorded with Classic jazz greats Wild Bill Davison, Billy Butterfield, Johnny Mince, Milt Hinton, Butch Miles, Eddie Higgins, Johnny Varro, Bob Haggert and Bill Allred.

Well known in the jazz community he has built his reputation on his knowledge of jazz styles of the 20’s and 30’s and is renowned for his decisive lead playing and hot jazz choruses. He currently appears at jazz festivals across the country with Tom Hook & The Hounds and his own group Davy Jones & The Suncoast

Ed Metz – Drums

Eddie grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan and from the age of 3, was fascinated by the drums. His dad was a dixieland/swing pianist and insisted that Eddie take piano lessons at age 5. This gave Eddie a unique approach to the drums, from the melodic and musical side of things. People comment all the time about Eddie saying “Yes, he has plenty of chops but when he solo’s you can literally hear the melody.” In Oct. 1982, while Eddie was in the prestigious Jazz Studies program at William Paterson College of NJ, he received a call from Count Basie himself to join his world famous big band, which he did for 6 months. Having gone back to school after the Basie job, Eddie graduated in 1984 and promptly moved to Central Florida to the huge theme park and convention work scene.

He quickly became the drummer of choice for many in all kinds of different styles with influences from all genres of music all over the world and has been the drummer on over 100 CD’s.

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