Don Mopsick
Musician and jazz educator in Cape Coral, Florida
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 Jefferey Octet and others.
After a 1977 move to Ft. Myers FL, Mopsick began double bass study with Lucas Drew at the U. of Miami. He moved to Orlando in 1983 and began work as a free-lance jazz bassist state-wide.
Notable 1980s Florida concert dates: Howard Alden, Mousey Alexander, Bill Allred, Dan Barrett, John Bunch, Pete Christleib, Al Cohn, Richie Cole, Kenny Davern, Buddy DeFranco, Don Goldie, Terry Gibbs, Scott Hamilton, Buddy Morrow, Ken Peplowski, Flip Phillips, Red Rodney, Bob Rosengarden, Ira Sullivan, Clark Terry & Warren Vaché Jr.
Mopsick joined the Jim Cullum Jazz Band in San Antonio in 1991. He played nightly at The Landing jazz club and toured 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 19-year tenure with Cullum, he also worked as an Associate Producer for the series.
Since his return to Florida in 2010, Don has appeared with Ira Sullivan, Aaron Weinstein, Stephanie Nakasian, Lew DelGatto, Dan Miller, Russell Malone, Bucky Pizzarelli, Peter Appleyard, Dick Hyman, Harry Allen, Marty Morell, Wendell Brunius, Leroy Jones, Randy Sandke & others.
Beginning in 2021 he's been a regular at the Suncoast Jazz Festival in Clearwater, FL backing Rossano Sportiello, Johnny Varro, Jason Marsalis, John O'Leary III, Chuck Redd, Ken Peplowski, Houston Person and others. He'll be there again in November, 2026.
From 2016-22, Don appeared at the Barrel Room in Ft. Myers playing duo with pianists Joe Delaney & Roy Gerson, and with the Dan Miller/Lew DelGatto Quartet. The venue was destroyed by storm surge from Hurricane Ian in 2022.
Don currently leads the Oyster Band quartet Saturdays at The Oyster Society on Marco Island FL. He also backs vocalists Tessie Hornus at The London Club & Patricia Dean at Shula's Steakhouse.
Life goals: 1. Get a sound 2. Find a groove. 3. Make someone happy
More on Don Mopsick here: [email protected]