Colin O'Donohoe Music

The eclecticism of O’Donohoe’s music is fitting, as his roots in music originally were in jazz, rock and everything he heard. “I’ve had a wide foundation and grounding in music,” he explains. “While jazz – be-bop and hard-bop – has been my mainstay, I was raised in a home that had music from everywhere. My dad played Irish music and there was always a presence of other cultures around.” And with an interest in foreign languages (Colin speaks Spanish and Laotian) and literature, it seems in retrospect that it was inevitable for O’Donohoe to find his calling amidst world music and culture.

O’Donohoe got his degree (on scholarship) in jazz drumming from the Arizona State University, but it was through the Chinese book of poetry called Shi Jing that O’Donohoe found new inspiration, and the vehicle for his own unique expression. He remembers, “Through my interest in Shi Jing, I encountered Chinese orchestral music for the first time, and it blew my mind. They have completely different concepts on how they view melody, harmony and song construction. Yeah, I had a degree in music, but hearing this was almost like being born a new.” Soon, Colin was writing Chinese music and in 2003, he was asked to join the Phoenix Chinese Orchestra.

Unbeknownst to Colin, while musical developments were undeniably exciting, he soon faced one of the biggest personal challenges of his life – macular degeneration, an affliction with causes its victim to lose their central vision. “It was obviously difficult and depressing, and for a year, I was in a pretty deep funk. But my family was incredibly supportive and I soon figured out alternate ways of getting things done.”

Colin used his background in jazz to create new ways to conduct. He explains, “I thought because of my eyesight, I couldn’t conduct. But from my jazz background, I saw how Ellington did it – and then I realized I could use my relatively un-damaged peripheral vision to see the score when conducting. Leading the New Moon Orchestra gave me my self-confidence back. I thought I couldn’t do stuff, but I was wrong.”

Soon, under the name Donohoe, he released his first album, Shi Jing: Ancient Book Of Songs, utilizing his experience to create a unique album combining modern elements with ancient Chinese text. And in 2008, he released his second album, Songs Of The Saints, an album that expanded upon Colin’s skill and dexterity with a wide variety of seemingly disparate instruments and musicians, featuring everything from jazz guitar, choir, bouzouki, turntable, clarinet, synthesizers, drum set, and many more. The reception to the music has been warm, but Colin is clear that he is just getting started in his own musical ambassadorship. He declares, “My sound is challenging for people. But it takes time for people to appreciate a genre. I’m committed to it being as big as Duke Ellington and Leonard Bernstein.”

Colin’s music is a reflection of his commitment to bringing people together. “I’m currently forming a new ensemble based in New York called Pangea. It’s going to bring instruments and musicians from around the globe to play in a single entity. I’ve seen how music can cut through prejudice, and how it can be a victim of it. When 9/11 occurred I was playing Turkish/Arab music. It was hard to get gigs. I’m committed to music transcending that. And with my Irish face, I’m a good guy to say, “If it doesn’t hurt me, it won’t hurt you,” he says with a laugh.

Colin O’Donohoe is a rare musician – one brave enough to live out the ideals and aspirations of his music, and being unstoppable amidst anything that attempts to get in the way. On Songs Of The Saints, you can hear his vision in full flower, as he synthesizes various music to create his own singular vision. But it is clear that he is just getting started, and with future projects like Pangea, it will be clear that this is an artist just reaching his stride.