Dominic Frontiere

Dominic Frontiere has led a career that has cut across at least four musical genres over a half century. Born into a musical family in New Haven, CT, in 1931, Frontiere took up several instruments as a boy before settling on the accordion, at which he developed a daunting proficiency. At age 7, he was studying with virtuoso Joseph Biviano, and at age 12 he gave a solo recital at Carnegie Hall in New York. Concurrent with his instrumental training, however, Frontiere also studied classical music, particularly composition and arranging. In 1949, he succeeded Dick Contino -- an a...