john donegan

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THE ARTIST

John Donegan, UK based and originally from Cork, is a modern jazz pianist and composer.  His music has been featured on the BBC, Jazz FM, RTE and independent radio stations in UK and Ireland. 

He has performed with a variety of UK, Irish and International artists, including Art Blakey, Art Farmer, Barney Kessel and Greg Abate, Louis Stewart and many more. 

John’s major influences have been the likes of Bill Evans, Kenny Barron, Wynton Kelly, Bud Powell, Chic Corea  and Keith Jarrett.

He has also performed in France, Spain and Portugal and at Birdland in
New York. 

John more recently composed a suite of 21 contemporary pieces which have been released as 2 CDs, Siamsa, Vol 1 & 2. Recent review in Musicians Union Magazine “An intriguing combination of classic bebop laced with Irish folk melody, this album from pianist John and his saxophonist friend Tommaso Starace is full of sublime lyrical moments”

He released a new Sextet album in Aug 2019, A Kite for Kate, dedicated to his youngest daughter. It comprises of totally original pieces and has already been featured on RTE, BBC, K 107FM and various other independent radio stations. Recent, four star review from “The Jazz Mann” – “an impressive offering from Donegan in which he demonstrates his command of a variety of styles, as both pianist and composer, As a writer he also demonstrates an unfailing gift for melody. 

During Lockdown, John has written and arranged more than 20 new pieces which will comprise of two albums of new material for the Sextet. 

The first of these was recorded in 2022 with The Irish Sextet and recently released. Ian Patterson has written in All About Jazz – “Donegan and his sextet members do not set out to reinvent the wheel with Shadows Linger, which is just as well, because in sticking to what they know and love, they have delivered a memorable straight ahead album of vintage calibre.” Shadows Linger received a four star review from Peter Vacher for Jazzwise Magazine in July 2023 issue."This is his Irish Band, drawn from all four corners of the island of Ireland and quite stirring in both its energetic responses to Donegan's original compositions and the sheer panache of the solo extemporisations. His compositional flare is well demonstrated and his pianism intriguing yet poised. More please!"

The second of these albums, Light Streams, recorded in April; 2023 with the same group was released in October 2023, to much acclaim. Four Star review in Jazzwise - "We reviewed the Irish pianist-composer John Donegan's earlier release in Jazzwise 286 and gave it a well-earned four stars and hoped to hear more. Donegan has obliged with this very welcome follow-up featuring the same all-star personnel. ...Donegan knows how to create themes that have real melodic value, each soloist, himself included, given pathways to follow which allow freedom to wander even if the way ahead is always clear. Ten pieces, all by him, and brilliantly performed. Not to be missed."

Four Star review from The Jazz Mann. "His writing is varied, intelligent and unfailingly melodic, and most importantly of all it swings." 
Bebop Spoken  Here - "Donegan, has created a distinctive voice that is neither totally, Irish, not English or American. It's all and none  - it's his. Highly recommended."

In 2024  he  recorded the third album in this series with The Irish Sextet featuring, special guest, Hugh Buckley on guitar.The album comprises of all new material with a tribute to the late Louis Stewart, mentor and friend. This album is due to be released in October 2024 and a date for the album launch in London will be announced soon. 

John has just completed a new suite of works under the title of Aontacht (Irish for Unity).This follows on in the tradition of the previous Siamsa suite and reflects the influence of Jazz, Classical and Traditional Irish music.  The music is written for Sextet (jazz), solo violinist, string quartet and includes some vocal pieces. The plan is to record this in 2025. 

Other projects include the continuing development of the arrangements of Chopin and John Field pieces, which are due to be performed in London on 19th October with the Quintet. 

All 9 of his albums are available on this website and on all the usual sites:  Bandcamp; Tunecore; Spotify; iTunes etc. John can also be contacted on Facebook  - John Donegan Jazz, Instagram - @ john.donegan.127. The latest album - We Will Meet Again, Sometime will shortly be added to this site. 

John recorded another album, a Trio album with Bernard O'Neill on Bass and John Daly on drums, in 2023.  This album will be released probably in 2025. 

He has also written new pieces for Volume 3 of Siamsa and a suite to commemorate all those who lost their lives in the pandemic called the Elegy Suite.   

In 2022 John was asked to perform in The Chopin Festival at Café Posk in London. He arranged 5 pieces for a Jazz quartet and this was performed on 15th October to much acclaim. He has since arranged and written 5 further pieces and hopes to record these in due course. They have been more recently performed at Burford Jazz Club.  

All 7 albums, under his own name, are available on his website, johndoneganjazz.com and on all the usual sites: BandCamp; Tunecore: Spotify, iTunes etc. John can also be contacted on John Donegan Jazz, FaceBook page, to which will shortly be added the new album - Light Streams.

John has also been a regular performer for Global Music Foundation who held online concerts during Lockdown. 

Finally, John recorded a new album with Bernard 0'Neill on Bass and John Daly on drums, in France, in June 2023.  This album is currently being mastered and will be released, probably, early 2024.