Since returning to the UK,   Don has spent much of his time writing new tunes which vary from ballads to jazz tunes, including Caribbean and Latin American rhythms,  and arranging material for his bands.  He is still very active as a player as well, playing regularly with the Red Hot Chillies and many other bands in addition to his solo and concert appearances.

  The 1970’s and 80’s were the heyday for many of the surviving  American legends to tour the UK and

        Europe.  Don was lucky to be in the right place at the right time as resident reedman at the famous

      Boston(Lincs) Jazz Club and as well as playing with many British stars like Digby Fairweather, Roy

Williams etc., he also played with many visiting Americans.  The list is impressive, including, Benny Waters, with whom he played several tours and, his particular friend, Al Casey.

By the mid 1990’s he was off again first to London and then Europe, the Middle East, the USA

and the Caribbean.  He had a trio in London with bassist Paul Godfrey and first Ray Dempsey and then the awesome Cedric West on guitar.  In New York, he met up with Al Casey again and played alongside him and another old friend, George Kelly on tenor. He subsequently played with Michael Boothman and  Kysofusion in Trinidad, before returning to the East Midlands around 1990.

Don started playing clarinet at the age of twelve and came up thru the Leicestershire Schools Orchestra system.  Always a jazz fan he started gigging at about fourteen and by eighteen was asked to join the now legendary Phil Impey in the Soar Valley Jazzmen.  After this on he moved

   around the UK and Europe and pursued his other career as a computer

          and management consultant as well as playing plenty of jazz.