John Doheny | |
|---|---|
 John Doheny at the Vancouver Jazz Festival '07. Photo by Raquel Dennett | |
| Background information | |
| Born | December 17, 1953 Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Instrument(s) | Saxophones, Flute, Clarinet |
John Steven "Pip" Doheny (born 17 December 1953) is a Seattle-born jazz tenor saxophonist and bandleader.
Born in Seattle, Washington, Doheny studied with Canadian saxophonist and bandleader Fraser MacPherson, whom he credits as a major influence. He spent his early career in the 1970s primarily in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, playing in local rhythm and blues bands and strip clubs, as well as spending large parts of each year on road trips to taverns throughout rural British Columbia and Alberta. By the late 1970s and into the mid 1980s he was appearing as a sideman with artists such as Albert Collins, Doug and the Slugs, the Coasters, the Platters, the Temptations, and Buddy Knox. In the late 1980s he relocated to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and then New York City, working with the bands of Lloyd Williams, Solomon Burke, Danny B, and Kenny Margolis. The 1990s saw Doheny touring and studio work, both with jazz ensembles and pop groups, including Bell Biv Devoe.
He released his first CD as a leader, One Up, Two Back, in 2002, featuring his band the John Doheny Quintet, and vocalist Colleen Savage. In 2003 he moved to New Orleans to pursue a master's degree in jazz history at Tulane University. Doheny also plays flute, clarinet, and alto saxophone.
Doheny is a jazz historian, holding an MA in Jazz History from Tulane University, as well as a bachelor's in music and a bachelor's in education from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He has written articles on Jelly Roll Morton and published in Tulane's Jazz Archivist. He has transcribed the music of Charles Mingus from audio form into written musical scores. These scores were adapted to a series of performances, Mingus Mania, parts of which appeared on the Bravo television network in the early 1990s as musical interludes. Doheny also composed and performed source music for the soundtrack for the 1998 Bruce Sweeney film Dirty, as well as appearing with his band in the 1997 Brian Dennehy TV movie A Father's Betrayal.
Doheny lives in New Orleans, Louisiana, and is an advocate for the rebuilding of New Orleans to its original form, history, and traditions.
