Tommy Doggett
Educator + Musician, Des Moines, IA, USA
A staple of the Des Moines music scene across genres, Tommy Doggett has added his saxophone to folk, funk, jazz, and rock. With his new project, Lines + Lineage, Tommy steps up front as a bandleader and composer. Lines + Lineage is an homage to his family. The song titles are family members born in the early 20th Century that made an impression on him as a child. Blending grungy art-rock with funk and soul, Tommy has created instrumental music for the modern mainstream by blending jazz chops with explosive rock energy. Melodic soloing and smart compositions encapsulate essential swing, deep grooves, and skillful melodies. The first single, Uncle Bill, followed by the full album will be released in the spring of 2023.
Never restricted by a particular genre, his diverse musical palette stems from his collaboration with musicians such as Corey Taylor to debuting chamber music by composer Charles Savage to art installations with Gustav Art. In 2015, he was inducted into the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the band Freestyle. As a composer, he was recognized for his project Two Turntables and a Saxophone by a ASCAPlus Award in 2006 and 2007. He proudly endorses TM Custom tenor saxophones designed by Randy Jones at Tenor Madness.
A graduate of Northern Kentucky University (B.M.) and Kent State University (M.M.). Tommy’s success is linked to his two primary teachers: Greg Banaszak (international soloist) and Bob Reynolds (John Mayer, Snarky Puppy). He models both of their teaching styles in his own classroom at Urbandale High School, where he serves as director of the Wind Ensemble, Jazz One, Jazz Three, Musical Pit Orchestra, and the Urbandale J--Hawk Marching Band. Prior to Urbandale High School, Tommy taught at colleges and universities in Ohio, West Virginia, and Iowa.
Greg Banaszak -
Saxophone Journal 2001
“His diversity as a performer, skilled in both classical and jazz repertoire, in addition to being an accomplished flutist, provides an excellent model for the skills necessary to succeed in the ever-changing music industry.”
Corey Taylor -
Metromix Des Moines 2009
Album Review: ENGLISH 'Mona Lucy'
Little Village 2021
"The standout tracks on the EP are the interconnected pair of “Mona Lucy” and “Directions.” The title track begins a surf-rock suite: It’s phenomenal, and fading into the instrumental “Directions,” it finally gives the quintet the space to stretch out... I can only imagine the power these must have bellowing from the stage."
"I had wanted to start the first stoner rock disco funk band- basically a cross between Sabbath, Prince and Zappa- so I assembled a crack squad of aloof yet courageous bastards to do so. We wrote 9 songs in that strain, but then we started jamming my solo material. Sounded great, and I was planning to do some solo shows anyway, so I asked JBKB to back me on the shows."