John Donegan: ‘Interfuse’

Pianist John Donegan released Interfuse in December 2025 and it includes a sensitive selection of quartet, trio, duo and solo piano tunes.

Donegan is a sensitive pianist and inspired composer and arranger. On Interfuse, he demonstrates all of that across a variety of formats, with Richie Buckley (tenor and soprano saxes), Bernard O’Neill (bass) and John Daly (drums).

The opening Blues Jive allows Buckley’s tenor sax to let rip and as we move to the title track, the album mellows with more sax. All the time, Donegan allows his piano to support and take the lead in solos, sitting back at times to allow the other musicians to shine. O’Neill’s bass on the title track is subtle - he’s producer as well, and he resists the temptation to make more of his instrumental contribution.

When we get to Donegan’s the solo piano intro to Funny Isn’t It? we can hear the lightness of touch that is, indeed, humorous. Even with the addition of bass and drums, this is very much a piano feature. Similarly, Rumba de Ciudad and Sonorial and A Kite for Kate make good use of the piano trio format.

Buckley joins us once more Five to One (wittily in 5/4 time). Donegan says of this one: “The idea behind the tune is an imaginary conversation taking place with five of Ireland’s foremost literary giants: Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, WB Yeatsm James Joyce and Samuel Beckett. All these writers have been influential in my appreciation of modern Irish literature and were hughely innovative in their works.”

When Donegan takes the piano solo for A Song for Ciara, he explores the extent of the instrument. Similarly, on the duet with soprano sax - A Resolute Rose - the piano does more than accompany the melody: this is a real duo composition, performed with sensitivity.

Throughout Interfuse, there is a variety of touch and style, with Donegan’s creative piano at its core.

You can buy John Donegan’s ‘Interfuse’ on Bandcamp