- Born: December 25, 1939 NYC, NY USA
- Birth name: Charles Alias
- Died: March 29, 2006 (aged 66)
- AKA: Don
- Genres: Jazz, jazz fusion
- Occupation: Musician
- Instruments: Drums, conga drums, percussion instruments, djembe
- Associated Acts: Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Weather Report, Jaco Pastorius, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock
- On the Web: DonAlias.com
Don was a jazz percussionist best known for playing congas and other hand drums but he was also capable behind the drumset. As a matter of fact, Don played drums on the song “Miles Runs the Voodoo Down” from Miles Davis’s album Bitches Brew (1969) when neither Lenny White nor Jack DeJohnette could play the marching band-inspired rhythm Miles wanted.
Don performed on hundreds of recordings but was probably best known for his associations with Miles Davis and saxophonist David Sanborn. Don was born in New York City and moved to Boston in the early 1960s to study medicine but, after playing congas in a number of local bands, that was the end of his career in medicine!
