Luke Doughty Quintet

Saturday, April 27, 2024
7:30 PM

The Luke Doughty Quintet was formed in San Francisco in 2015 and performs primarily original compositions that draw on a diverse set of influences including Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian, J.S. Bach, Pink Floyd, the Beatles, and Irish traditional music.

Luke Doughty – Archtop Guitar, Electric Guitars, Bass VI

Luke Doughty is the organizer and primary songwriter of the Luke Doughty Quintet. He has played guitar for over 28 years and studied many different styles of music along the way, with a particular emphasis on blues, jazz, and rock and roll. His preferred instrument is a 1951 Gibson archtop guitar played through an early Fender tweed amplifier from the 1950’s.

His musical interests are:

  • the counterpoint and harmony of J.S. Bach
  • space as a musical aesthetic, for example Pink Floyd
  • and the inventive and dynamic guitar playing of Django Reinhardt

In addition to studying music, he holds a BA in Philosophy from UC Berkeley and a MA in Philosophy from San Francisco State University.

Zachary Mattocks – nylon string classical guitar, acoustic steel string guitar, vocals

Zach’s love for creating music began when he first strummed an autoharp in his elementary school years. He enjoyed the rich, harmonic sound it produced, and the feel of the strings. His first instrument of choice was the steel string acoustic guitar. After graduating from high school, Zach continued to immerse himself in music and guitar during his military career, and began to learn piano at Minot State University. After discovering his life love for music and continuing to study personally, he began full-time study in classical guitar and has performed solo and ensemble music throughout the midwest and bay area. He currently enjoys and is grateful for an active teaching and performing lifestyle. Zach has had the honor of studying guitar with Lawrence Ferrara and Angelo Favis, jazz with Kevin Hart and Charlie Stokes, and music education with Tim Fredstrom.

Kyle Beard – clarinet / bass clarinet

Kyle Beard has been devoted to the clarinet since the age of twelve, beginning by teaching himself using whatever music he could come across at the local music store. An enthusiast of all varieties of music, Mr. Beard enjoys exploring both the new and the old in classical music, as well as the marriage between classical and folk/popular music.
Mr. Beard enjoys a varied performing career in the Bay Area, as the clarinetist with the blues/folk-inspired Luke Doughty Quartet, the bass clarinetist of the trio Slow Wave, and clarinetist with the ECHO Chamber Orchestra, as well as a sub player with many regional orchestras.
He also works as an instrument repair technician for his own company, RBK Winds, and is an active private teacher and woodwind coach throughout the Bay Area.

Clare Simmons – Upright Bass, Electric Bass, Vocals, and Accordion

Clare Simmons’ love for music began when she corrected her mom’s singing at the age of 3. She asked for a recorder for her 4th birthday, started piano soon after and by the age of 13 had descended via the ‘cello to the upright bass. She quickly found that merely owning a bass made her in high demand, despite her initially minimal skills, and that standing behind an instrument the size of a piece of furniture made it the perfect instrument for an introverted extrovert. She gained a degree in music at York University, UK and moved to the Bay Area where she taught K-12 music for 20 years. She also plays piano and banjo, and enjoys playing all kinds of music, especially jazz, bluegrass and orchestral around the Bay Area.

Jeffery Mince – Drums

Jeffery is an accomplished pro touring and recording drummer, a university-trained music educator, a former Buddhist Monk, and a certified Psychology coach.

For many years he toured and recorded with the Nina Hagen Band both nationally and internationally. Later he was signed with Elektra Records for the band Ghettoblaster. With that band he recorded and performed with from coast to coast. As well as recording in nearly every major recording studio in Los Angeles,working with some of the most successful and acclaimed record producers, recording engineers, and music industry professionals in the business.