BIO
Born and raised in Dracut MA, Dino started out as many kids do, local garage bands and the high school jazz band were he was awarded the Louis Armstrong Award for Best Jazz Bassist. After playing the New England club scene for 10 years, Los Angeles became his next target. He went Musicians Institute (BIT) in 1991 and after graduating, was asked to join the faculty. There he studied with Bob Magnusson, Putter Smith, Jeff Berlin, Gary Willis, Steve Bailey, Alexis Sklarevski, Jim Lacefield and Tim Bogert to name just few, and since he's been back in Boston, the great Bruce Gertz.
He’s been around the world countless times with various groups as well as conducting his own instructional clinics under the auspices of Ampeg Bass Amplifiers. He has backed up players like Bernard Purdie, Efrain Toro, Maria Martinez, Doane Perry, Connie Francis, Steve Perry, Brett Garsed, T.J. Helmrich, Debbie Johnson, Tiffany, Chasity Bono, Greg Bissonette, Keith Wyatt, The John Leite Concert Winds, The Pepperdine University Orchestra, and The Black Sea Salsa Band, The Carl Ayotte Band, The Jodie Cunningham Band, Bottoms Up, and his latest project Los Diablos with guitarist Carlos Flores.
He is the author of four books to date, “Odd Meter Bassics” (MonoTunes Music), “Essential Styles for Bass”(Mel Bay), “Mastering the Fingerboard”(Mel Bay), and “Electric Bass for the Young Beginner”(Mel Bay) as well as being the feature artist for the Mel Bay DVD, “Bass Chords Made Easy”
Odd Meter Bassics and Essential Styles for Bass have both been acclaimed by Bass Player Magazine, and Bassics Magazine among various other bass related periodicals and websites. He has been a longstanding columnist for both Bass Frontiers Magazine and Bass Guitar Magazine. More recently he has had his columns published in Bass Player Magazine.
Dino is currently the Brand Marketing Manager for Ampeg, and has affectionately become known in the bass community as “The Ampeg Guy” for the last sixteen years.
Conducting in-store and in-school clinics and appearances around the world as well as numerous YouTube instructional videos for Ampeg has been his goal for the last 10 years.
