Peter MacDonough (musician)

Peter MacDonough (born February 20, 1958 in the USA) is an Australian-based jazz saxophonist.
==Early life==
MacDonough was born in Santa Monica, California on February 20, 1958. He began playing the clarinet at the age of nine and was accepted a few years later into the Virginia All State Band Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association#All Virginia Band and Orchestra at the youngest age possible, on the clarinet and bass clarinet. At 15 years of age, he joined the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra, playing the same instruments but with the bassoon now added to his repertoire. MacDonough completed high school at Valley Forge Military Academy and College, Pennsylvania on a full music scholarship.
He attended the College of William & Mary and, during his studies, played as the principal clarinettist of the William & Mary Symphony Orchestra. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and it was around this time that he moved away from classical music and shifted to the saxophone as his primary instrument, after discovering a love for jazz.
==Later life and career==
After concentrating for some time on his career outside the musical industry, MacDonough began studying Latin jazz in San Francisco in 1996, under several notable teachers. These included Michael Spiro, Mark Levine (musician), Marcos Silva, Jovino Santos Neto, Mary Fettig and Steve Erquiaga. MacDonough has performed with various musicians in Washington, DC., Colorado Springs, San Francisco, Naples and Sydney. Over that time, he has been the lead player in numerous groups, including the Peter MacDonough Duo (or Duo with Peter MacDonough), the Peter MacDonough Trio, Peter MacDonough & Friends and Peter MacDonough with Quiet Dignity. From time to time, he leads a six-piece fusion band by the name of Dorian Blue, comprised of saxophone (alto and soprano), keys, guitar, bass, drums and percussion. 
MacDonough recorded his first album as lead player in 1991 in tribute to one of his major influences, Jay Beckenstein. During the late 1990’s, he appeared on several albums for other musicians and his band, Dorian Blue, recorded a number of albums to supplement his session work in the Bay Area. MacDonough recorded a small-group album in 2003 and another with Dorian Blue in 2005, both with himself as lead player.
After returning to Sydney in 2007, MacDonough released his fourth album, The WOO: A Latin Jazz Suite for Soprano Saxophone (2010). This album was nominated for a Twirlie Award (Twirl Radio) for Best Latin Jazz Album in 2011, and rose to number 4 of the CMJN Alternative Top 100 Chart in March 2011 and number 17 on the Roots Music Report Top 50 Jazz Chart in December 2010. MacDonough released his fifth album as leader in 2015.
==Discography==
===As leader===
Year Recorded	Title 	Label 	Notes
1991 	Cafe Bozart 	 	
2003 	Live in Oakland 	 	
2005 	Live @ Pete's 	 	
2010 	The WOO: A Latin Jazz Suite for Soprano Saxophone	 	With Jovino Santos Neto (piano), Mark Levine (piano), Michael Spiro (percussion), David Belove (bass), Paul van Wangeningen (drums).
2015 	A Portrait of Dorian Blue 	Audio & Video Labs, Inc.	With Bill Risby (piano), Tom Ferris (guitar), Cameron Henderson (guitar), Leon Gaer (bass), Gordon Rytmeister (drums), Jess Ciampa (percussion)
Category:1958 births
Category:Australian jazz saxophonists
Category:People from Santa Monica, California