www.myspace.com/doncantwell
Playing Since: 1968
Gender: Male
Age: 74
My Instruments:
Vega "Vegaphone Professional" tenor
D'Angelico Excel Archtop Guitar
Favorite Bands/Musicians:
Tim Allan &
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Classified Rating: not rated
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Profile Info:
Visible to: Public
Created 5/9/2008
Last Visit 2/3/2026
I play guitar and bass in the Utica, NY area, and sometime in 1968 was given a tenor banjo to use for an All-County orchestra while in high school. Following that, friends and I formed a Dixieland band and entered a competition at the NY State Fair, which we won! Through the years I had borrowed banjos to use. In the mid-1970's Ted Radley gave me a tenor which I used up until spring of 2008 when it finally gave out. I now have a Vega Professional which I really love. I still play banjo and guitar with Don Cantwell's Dixieland Jazz band, as well as play bass with the Carmen Caramanica Jazz Trio.
http://www.myspace.com/carmencaramanica
I play guitar on shows and also fill in with other groups. Although I have played tenor for a long time, I am still working to learn how to really play the instrument. It is easy to hide behind the chord rhythm in the band setting! So lately I have been studying Tim Allan's arrangements and notes.
Someday, I would love to get a Vega tubaphone plectrum banjo.
