Ian Dogole

Ian Dogole draws on percussion instruments spanning numerous world cultures to shape a sound known as global fusion. By intertwining jazz with elements from assorted traditions, he has forged a personal style. Among the instruments he employs are those originating in Native American communities as well as in China, India, the Middle East, and Africa. Born in Philadelphia, Dogole began piano studies at age five and turned to jazz guitar two years afterward. He pursued ethnomusicology at Brown University, obtained a master’s degree in classical languages from Villanova University, and earned an additional degree from Stanford University. During his college years he developed a strong interest in percussion, an enthusiasm he now shares with young audiences through workshops, assemblies, and presentations offered to California students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. In 1991 the National Endowment for the Arts presented him with a Jazz Performance Fellowship. The Marin Arts Council later awarded him three grants, in 1994, 1995, and 1998. Dogole has issued recordings both under his own name and with the various configurations of Global Fusion, which have appeared as a quintet, a quartet, and a trio. Fellow members include keyboardist Gary Fisher, fiddler and viola player Eric Golub, flutist and bassist Bill Douglass, and reed player Sheldon Brown. He has performed in venues across Pennsylvania, California, Florida, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. As a composer his pieces have been featured on releases by Ancient Future, an ensemble of which he is also a core member. His music has accompanied videos created for the San Francisco Giants, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Indonesia Park Service, and Brown University. Beyond performing, recording, and composing, the multi-percussionist has produced his own albums and several projects for Ancient Future. Additional production credits include the 1998 debut album Just the Beginning by jazz vocalist Daria, the 1995 debut Red Reflections by flügelhornist Dmitri Matheny, and the self-titled 1997 debut by jazz violinist Yehudit.