short bio
Dan Del Negro - composer, pianist, synthesist, producer, vocalist - grew up in the Chicago area, started playing music at age 5; played many gigs, and worked in the jazz, recording and theatre scenes.
Dan moved to LA in 1995. He continued in those scenes, and also worked on his contemporary jazz compositions and recordings.
Dan moved to Hawai`i in 2000, and became established in the local jazz scene, as well as the Hawaiian music scene. Dan played piano and keyboards with the Matt Catingub Return to Romance Festival, as well as the Hawai`i Symphony, the Hawai`i International Jazz Festival, and Hawaiian artists Na Leo Pilimehana and Sean Na`auao. He was music director for Paradise& Co., a successful convention band, as well as Unity Church of Hawai`i. Dan played piano and did most of the arrangements for the late Jimmy Borges’ multiple-Hoku Award - winning, self-titled album. Since 2001, Dan has been the pianist for the Hoku award-winning Honolulu Jazz Quartet.
Dan’s work with the St. Peter’s Episcopal Jazz Vespers Quartet started in 2014, and continues. During the pandemic lockdown in 2020, the Vespers continued, virtually - for about a year, each band member would send in solo videos to be used in the service. Dan took the opportunity to finish some original tunes, then to start a project - write and produce a song every week!
As a result, Dan released an album “Some of My Favorite Grooves” in 2021 and another album, “Magic Island Dreams” in 2023 - nominated for the Hoku Awards Jazz Album of the Year - and 2024’s “Mindful, Latin, and Funky”.
Regularly attending concerts of, and occasionally playing with, the Hawai`ii Symphony Orchestra increased Dan’s love of the orchestra. He purchased the BBC Symphony Orhcestra plugin and created his “Suite For Orchestra One.” Dan is currently recording tracks for artists with rhythm sections and orchestra, as well as arranging, including charts for singer Paul Shimomoto’s “Rat Pack Revue” Sinatra Songbook concerts.
Dan has always been interested in mindfulness and meditation, and how that practice intersects with making and listening to music. Having released several mindfulness-oriented songs and videos, his intention going forward is to do more songs, talks, videos, and writings to help people learn the value and practice of mindfulness in daily life.
long bio
beginnings
Dan Del Negro was born in Chicago, and grew up in the southeast suburb of Calumet City, on the Illinois-Indiana border.
There was a lot of music playing in the Del Negro home - 40’s big band recordings and some Italian-influenced pop, like Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore".
Calumet City
Around the age of 5, the family was visiting Dan’s great aunt. She had an upright piano in her living room, and Dan started banging on it. She ended up giving the family the piano, and it was moved into Dan’s room. After awhile, Dan somehow figured out how to play the theme of the Lawrence Welk Show (a musical variety show the family watched on Sat. nights, along with spaghetti dinner), “Bubbles in the Wine”.
Dan’s parents decided to take him for music lessons at a nearby music store. Somewhere along the way, however, a switch was made, from piano to accordion! (playing a Spanish cruise years later, and hanging out in the town of Malaga, Dan saw many street bands with accordion players and realized the European influence - Dan’s Italian father and Czech mother - may have had something to do with that; and Lawrence Welk, of course).
This happening eventually led to Dan’s career in jazz: at one point, he had an accordion teacher that introduced him to jazz accordion, taught him about chord symbols and structure, and had him begin improvising at the ends of phrases!
Dan, c. age 5, with his first accordion.
Another event that led to Dan’s involvement in jazz marked his discovery of combo jazz. One morning, he was off to school and his sister had the Captain Kangaroo Show on the TV. For the musical segment, the Captain had the Jazz Crusaders on. Dan stopped in his tracks - he was mostly familiar with big band jazz, but this was something else! The next day, Dan took the bus to downtown Chicago and went to the Jazz Record Mart. From a list he made from a book on jazz, he bought vinyl LPs of artists from Jellyroll Morton to Art Tatum to Charlie Parker and Miles Davis - a huge stack! Checking out, the cashier remarked, “You don’t buy any sh*t, do you?”
Music career begins
In Junior High (aka “Middle”) School, Dan was asked to accompany the choir on piano. Needing to get his left hand in shape (after playing buttons on the left hand side of the accordion), he took piano lessons from the local church organist. She generously invited Dan to come over and practice whenever he wanted. In addition to a grand piano, the music room had a Hammond B3 organ with Leslie speakers! Dan spent some practice time on the organ, getting lost in the swirling sound…
Around graduation time, Dan was invited to participate in the “Gifted Program”. He wrote a composition called “Airplane Ride”, and got to record it with a group of professional musicians.
With band director James Rajchel
Dan joined his first rock band, playing organ on current hits like the Doors’ version of “Light My Fire”.
Dan attended Thornton Fractional North High School. The jazz band and choral director there, Brian Cwik, took Dan under his wing. Dan played for choral groups and the jazz combo, and played tenor sax in the big band - often improvising as featured soloist. Eventually, Brian invited Dan to join his band, a combo playing weddings and other private events. Dan joined the Musician’s Union, and decided he wanted to pursue a full-time career as a professional musician.
During this time, Dan also went to a lot of jam sessions, playing electric piano and working on his mindset while improvising. A quote in a music magazine, “As in music, so in life”, inspired him.