Larry McDonough
Larry McDonough has been performing for over 40 years.  He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in music education from the University of Minnesota in 1978, performing on piano and trumpet, and in school ensembles with Clark Terry and Thad Jones, and for President Nixon and the President of Mexico.  He studied with Frank Bencriscutto, O’Neil Sanford, Ron Hassleman, Eric Stokes, Dominick Argento, David Baldwin, Steven Schultz, and Clem Volpe.

He played extensively in the Twin Cities in the 1970's and early 1980's, performing solo and in his own duos and trios.  He regularly performed at the old Night Train club in the Como Avenue warehouse area, and at the Jax Restaurant.  He also taught, and composed and arranged for high school band.

McDonough moved away in the earlier 1980's, and after returning a few years later, he performed primarily at private functions, including a performance for First Lady Hillary Clinton.  He began playing jazz publicly again in the late 1990s, performing solo and in his own duos and trios, and with BOZO allegro.  McDonough appeared on BOZO allegro's second CD, Relentlessly Cheerful.

He has released nine recordings under his own name:

Small Steps (solo piano)

Live, Cooking at the Dakota (Odd Beat Quintet)

Tuscarora: Short Stories for Jazz Piano (solo piano and voice)

A Rose for Two (piano, voice and drums)

My Favorite Things: Odd Times for Jazz Ensemble, Orchestra and Concert Band (high school ensemble performances of original pieces and arrangements)

Simple Gifts (Larry McDonough Quartet)
Charted at 29 on the CMJ Jazz Chart, and heard on more than 100 stations around the world

Solitude, poetry in jazz (duo with voice, piano, saxophones, and poetry)

Angels, Kings, My Favorite Things (solo, duo and quartet performance of holiday music).
CD release performances in the Midwest and Paris, France

Alice in Stonehenge and other AcoustElectric Adventures (2-CD set of the Larry McDonough Quartet) heard on stations around the world

His recent awards and selections include:

MN Spin, the Hennepin County Library Artists Program, selected Alice in Stonehenge and other AcoustElectric Adventures 2 CD Set (2018)

American Composers Forum Showcase with Jelloslave, for the composition Strait of Gibraltar (2018)

American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Selection for Reading at the Summer Dialogue Conference, for the composition of I Will Overcome for choir (2015)

HFC Award for Best Composition for the composition Reason to Shine for the film Underland 2 (2014)

He has created several shows that have been popular at the major jazz clubs, pubs and art centers in the Twin Cities and throughout the state.

Alice in Stonehenge and other AcoustElectric Adventures (a mix of acoustic jazz and electric jazz-rock fusion), presently played on radio stations across the county

You Must Believe in Spring: Tony Bennett and Bill Evans (vocal jazz)

Born to Be Kind of Blue: The Music of Chet Baker and Miles Davis (classic jazz)

Bill Evans Time Remembered (classic jazz)


AcoustElectric - The Music of Miles Davis and Chick Corea

June 25, 1961 - Bill Evans Trio at the Village Vanguard

Intermodulating Undercurrents: The Music of Guitarist Jim Hall and Pianist Bill Evans

Prohibited: Jazz from the 1920s

All Originals (original jazz from odd meters to free jazz)

McDonough has performed with legendary saxophonist and composer Benny Golson, Trombonist Fred Wesley, and trumpeter Duane Eubanks.  He also has performed with such groups and performers as the Wolverines; vocalists Patty Peterson, Shirley Witherspoon, Connie Olson, Diane Jarvi, and Vicki Mountain; bassists Bruce "Pooch" Heine, Tom Lewis, Tom Hubbard, Billy Peterson, Paul Peterson, Kevin Barnes, and Chuck Adams; guitarists Mike Elliott, Brian Barnes and Bill Bergmann; mandolin player Chris Silver; drummers Dave Stanoch, Dave Hagedorn, Phil Hey and Kevin Washington, and horn players Eric Leeds, Dave Jensen, Kathy Jensen, Phil Holm, Ruston Reynolds, Dave Hagner, and Jeff King; as well as cover bands Jules and the Mystics. 

In 2007 he was inducted into the Minnesota Rock Country Hall of Fame for his work in the group Danny’s Reasons. 

He now performs solo, in duos and trios, as well with his group, Larry McDonough Quartet.  A former high school band director, he also works at Dorsey & Whitney providing pro bono legal services for low income persons and nonprofits. He has been recognized by the Minnesota Law and Politics as a "Super Lawyer," and by William Mitchell College of Law as one of "100 Who Made a Difference" over the 100 year history of the school. He is married to classical flutist Carol Bergquist.