Michel Donato
Bassist, composer, singer, b Montreal 25 Aug 1942. His father, Roland, was a saxophonist and dance band leader. The younger Donato studied bass ca 1958-61 at the CMM with Roger Charbonneau then privately with Thomas Martin and played occasionally in the early 1960s with the MSO, but has made his career as a jazz and studio musician in Montreal, save for a period 1969-77 in Toronto. He worked frequently at the Jazz Hot and the Jazztek during the 1960s with Pierre Leduc, Lee Gagnon, and others, often playing in tandem with the drummer Claude Ranger. Donato was a member 1968-9 of the Montreal trio Aquarius Rising with Ranger and Brian Barley, and later worked with Ranger in Toronto clubs under the leadership of Lenny Breau and others. During his Toronto years he also was heard in the trios of Carol Britto and Bernie Senensky accompanying US musicians at Bourbon Street and toured internationally 1972-3 as a member of the Oscar Peterson Trio. He played occasionally during the 1970s in Toronto and Montreal with Bill Evans but declined an offer to join the US pianist's trio.