John Steven "Pip" Doheny (born 17 December 1953) is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

tenor saxophonist and bandleader. Born in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, 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 Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada, playing in local

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

bands and strip clubs, as well as spending large parts of each year on road trips to taverns throughout rural

and

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

. By the late 1970s and into the mid 1980s he was appearing as a sideman with artists such as

Albert Collins Albert Gene Collins (October 1, 1932 – November 24, 1993)Skeely, Richard. "Albert Collins: Biography" Allmusic.com. was an American electric blues guitarist and singer with a distinctive guitar style. He was noted for his powerful playing ...

, Doug and the Slugs,

the Coasters The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. With hits including "Searchin'", "Young Blood (The Coasters song), Young Blood", "Charlie Brown (The Coasters song), Charlie Bro ...

the Platters The Platters are an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The act ...

the Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

, and

Buddy Knox Buddy Wayne Knox (July 20, 1933 – February 14, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, best known for his 1957 rock & roll hit song, " Party Doll". Early life Knox was born on July 20, 1933 in the tiny farming community of Happy, Texas, ...

. In the late 1980s he relocated to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada, and then

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, working with the bands of Lloyd Williams,

Solomon Burke Solomon Vincent McDonald Burke (born James Solomon McDonald, March 21, 1940 – October 10, 2010) was an American singer who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s. He has been called ...

, Danny B, and Kenny Margolis. The 1990s saw Doheny touring and studio work, both with jazz ensembles and pop groups, including

Bell Biv Devoe Bell Biv DeVoe, also known as BBD, is an American music group from Boston, Massachusetts, formed from members of New Edition, consisting of Ricky Bell (singer), Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe. The band is best known for their debut ...

. 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 New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

to pursue a master's degree in jazz history at

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

. Doheny also plays flute, clarinet, and alto saxophone. Doheny is a jazz historian, holding an MA in

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

History from Tulane University, as well as a bachelor's in music and a bachelor's in education from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

, Canada. He has written articles on

Jelly Roll Morton Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe ( Lemott, later Morton; c. September 20, 1890 – July 10, 1941), known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American blues and jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer of Louisiana Creole descent. Morton was jazz ...

and published in Tulane's Jazz Archivist. He has transcribed the music of

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz Double bass, upright bassist, composer, bandleader, pianist, and author. A major proponent of collective Musical improvisation, improvisation, he is considered one of ...

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 Bruce Sweeney (born 1962 in Sarnia, Ontario) is a Canadian film director. He has spent his career based primarily in Vancouver, British Columbia. Career Sweeney's debut film, ''Live Bait (film), Live Bait'', won the award for Best Canadian Featur ...

film ''

Dirty Dirt is any matter considered unclean, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Du ...

'', as well as appearing with his band in the 1997

Brian Dennehy Brian Manion Dennehy (; July 9, 1938 – April 15, 2020) was an American actor of stage, television, and film. He won two Tony Awards, an Olivier Award, and a Golden Globe, and received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Dennehy had roles i ...

TV movie '' A Father's Betrayal''. Doheny lives in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, and is an advocate for the rebuilding of New Orleans to its original form, history, and traditions.

Discography

As leader

The Real Cool Killers: Parades and Saints-Independent − 2010 Personnel: *John Doheny (tenor saxophone) *Geoff Clapp (drums) * Rob Kohler (bass) Track list: * Parades and Saints * In the Hive * Cuts and Courts * 1963 * The Split * For Booker Ervin * The Matrix is Not Real * Brother Brown * Cissy Takes a Train * Slightly Stella * Rhythm-a-ning John Doheny presents The Professors of Pleasure, Volume Two-Independent − 2010 Personnel: *John Doheny (tenor and soprano saxophone) *Jim Markway (acoustic and electric bass) *Geoff Clapp (drums)− *Jesse McBride (acoustic and electric piano) *John Dobry (electric guitar) *Allen L. Dejan Jr. (alto, tenor and soprano saxophone) *Andrew Baham (trumpet) Track List: * Don't Know About That * Child Playing * Half Nelson * Nancy with the Laughing Face * Funky B * Beautiful Old Ladies * Elysian Fields * Cautious Optimism * This I Dig of You * Tulane Fight Song John Doheny and The Professors of Pleasure: Tulane University Faculty Quintet − Independent 2007 Personnel: *John Doheny (tenor and alto saxophone) *Fredrick Sanders (piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Hammond B-3 organ) *John Dobry (guitar) *Jim Markway (electric and acoustic bass) *Kevin O'Day (drums) Track List: *Jackson Square *Padrino *Cottontail *Your Majesty *The Rainbow People *A Greasy One *Halifax *Big G's Love One Up, Two Back - JDQ Records CD618551 − 2002 Personnel: *John Doheny (tenor sax) *Norm Quinn (trumpet and flugelhorn) *Ridley Vinson or Tony Foster (piano) *Al Johnston (bass) *Stan Taylor (drums) *Colleen Savage (vocals) Track List: *One Up, Two Back *We Knew *Attack of the Killer Chalmations *Player's Inn *Dindi *Killer Chalmations . . Slight Return *Time After Time *Once in a While *Perdido

Appears on the following recordings

*Algiers-Colleen Savage-Savage Records (2011) *Hot Air Volume 3. CBC Radio Compilation. CBC Records. HACD0052 (2002) *Martin Ferr - Dubious - Independent Cassette - 001 (1995) *

Poison (Bell Biv DeVoe album) ''Poison'' is the debut studio album from United States, American Contemporary R&B, R&B/Hip hop music, hip hop group Bell Biv DeVoe, released March 20, 1990, on MCA Records. The album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 ...

- MCA Records (1990) *Terraced Garden - Within - Melody And Menace Records LP - CT - 1960 (1988) *Downtown Kenny Brown and the Pervaders - Willin' and Ready - Razor Records/Blue Wave Records LP - 017 (1982) *Albert Collins - When The Welfare Turns Its Back On You - Sonnet Records - LP - 14107 (1979) *Douglas College Night Band - It's Just Talk-CD- DC 1007 (1998) *VCC Jazz Orchestra - Revelation-Cassette (1995) *VCC Jazz Orchestra - Let Me Off Uptown-Cassette (1993) Original compositions, "If I Only Had A Brain" and "Uncle Jim's Blues", to the soundtrack of the 1998 Bruce Sweeney film ''Dirty''.

References

External links

*
Biography at vancouverjazz.comArticle at Tulane University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doheny, John 1953 births Living people American jazz composers American male jazz composers Jazz musicians from New Orleans American jazz tenor saxophonists American male saxophonists Musicians from Seattle 21st-century American historians American male non-fiction writers Tulane University alumni 21st-century American saxophonists 21st-century American male musicians Historians from Washington (state) Historians from Louisiana 21st-century American male writers