Mandolin
2025 marks Don’s 50th year as a professional mandolinist. He began with studies with 20th Century jazz mandolin pioneer Jethro Burns, who coincidentally sparked his interest in Django Reinhardt. For a couple short years Don absorbed as much as possible from Jethro, until the teacher nudged the student out of the nest and encouraged him to develop his own style, which became a lifelong pursuit. Currently Don is considered a leading proponent of jazz mandolin style, with a dozen releases as leader, the most recent being The Swingin’est! by The Don Stiernberg Quartet.
Don’s instructional materials are available in Jazz Mandolin Appetizers for Mel Bay, and four online video courses for Soundslice.com. In person, he enjoys teaching at music camps from coast to coast and abroad. Django In June is one of his favorites, and he is one of ours.