Doran Danoff

Singer, pianist, songwriter, and producer DORAN DANOFF is a new and independent artist based out of Brooklyn, NY. As a songwriter and recording artist he is widely known for his original blend of blues, jazz, folk, and rock music showcasing his talents as a keyboardist and singer. He has been featured on many national radio stations including the world famous KCRW in Los Angeles and has performed in concert halls, nightclubs, and on radio stations throughout the United States. As a professional musician he has garnered popularity as a performing and recording artist of his own work and also as a composer and arranger for the concert hall, dance productions, film, and television.

Born in Los Angeles, California, DORAN began his artistic path as a poet and a writer, publishing independent literary and art magazines in Hollywood and learning about the musical pulse of the city and its roots in jazz and hip-hop, beat-nicks and slam poetry and the music of punk rock and jam bands. Finding his own way to the piano as a teenager, DORAN discovered an intuitive ability to improvise and compose songs and fell into his study and practice of all styles of music with a keen interest in jazz, ragtime, blues, and rock. As a teenager he performed with local rock, hip-hop and jazz groups at the likes of classic Hollywood clubs including the Whiskey, the Roxy, The Troubadour and The Mint. But his desire to study and create music more seriously eventually brought him across America from Los Angeles to New York City.

Ultimately landing in Brooklyn in 2006, DORAN developed new material featuring his talents as a vocalist, pianist, and songwriter, unveiling a powerful and passionate voice with remarkable range and sensitivity. His uniqueness as a piano based artist sets him apart and his music has been praised for capturing an earthy and classic vibe with hints of soul, jazz, country, American rock, and folk. But DORAN’s sound is no derivative throwback. He is catapulting into the new millennium with an original style that combines these classic elements with the swagger and attitude of modern piano rock and pop. His unique skills at song writing are elevated by his original and captivating lyrics that reveal both an innate sensitivity to pop forms, with classic hooks and choruses, as well as a highly evocative poetic tone that resonates with audiences. DORAN has become an exciting new presence in the New York music scene, performing throughout the five boroughs with his band DORAN & THE VIOLENTS. In addition, DORAN’s music has been licensed for TV and film and he has scored original music for several short films and TV shows. He has also worked as a producer and arranger with a number of recording artists in New York and Los Angeles including King Wilkie (Rounder Records), Sahara Smith (T. Bone Burnett), Irv Irving, Foster McGinty, Dub Is A Weapon, and many others.

With the 2008 release of his debut EP "The Icarus Suite" DORAN presented a clear statement that he is a new artist worth paying attention to. The self-produced and self-released CD embodies the attitude of independent music today. Even more amazing is the fact that "The Icarus Suite" is released under DORAN's own record label URBIVOR RECORDS. Recorded during travels across the country, "The Icarus Suite" was produced by DORAN with the help of good friends and musicians in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, and Philadelphia including Richie Kohan of "Hour of The Shipwreck," and Producer Emile Kelman, protégé of T. Bone Burnett. This bold introduction of his music shows the versatility of DORAN as a songwriter, instrumentalist, and producer and is filled with a captivating range of style and emotion. It was with this CD that DORAN attracted many fans from L.A. to NYC including tastemaker DJ’s such as Garth Trinidad from KCRW in Los Angeles.

DORAN is currently in production on his debut full-length record “The Ghost & The Scratch.” Due for release in the summer of 2010, this record features 14 original songs written and performed by DORAN DANOFF and produced by Emile Kelman, protégé of Grammy-award winning producer T. Bone Burnett.