Don Soledad

Raised in a musical family, Don took an interest in the guitar at a young age. After being exposed to recordings of great flamenco guitarists Paco de Lucia, Vicente Amigo, Tomatito, and Gerardo Núñez , he found where his heart truly belonged — the Spanish flamenco guitar.

His unique personal approach has nuances of Flamenco, Latin and Jazz guitar. His flamenco guitar studies vary from the traditional style of Mariano Cordoba and Agustin Rios (nephew of legendary Flamenco guitarist Diego del Gastor), to the modern flamenco school, with guitarists Juan Diego Mateos of Jerez, Spain. In addition to his flamenco studies, Don has also studied with jazz guitarist – Mimi Fox from the Berkeley Jazz School in Berkeley, California.

His intense study and dedication led to a first-place award in the 1998 "Best of the Bay" music talent contest at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. In 1999, he toured the country of Panama as the principal guitarist for the San Jose-based Latin group Senda. Don also has done session work for numerous artists in multiple genres including an album by singer/songwriter Eric Martin, vocalist of the rock band Mr. Big. He is currently based in Florida and performs with his quartet Don Soledad Group.