Though he’s no longer a student at WSU, you could almost still hear the strains of “Obfuscato” wafting down the halls of Kimbrough Hall after alumnus Adam Donohue was recently featured in a top jazz publication.

Donohue, a saxophonist, graduated in December with his Master of Arts, focusing on Jazz Studies and music performance for saxophone. He was featured in the October 2007 issue of JAZZIZ magazine for his composition, “Ofuscato,” which was submitted by the WSU Coordinator of jazz studies, Greg Yasinitsky.

“You are only allowed to have one submission per school,” Yasinitsky said. “We knew that a nationally recognized magazine’s standards would be high, so we wanted to send something good.” “Ofuscato” – an Italian word meaning “to obscure something” – was a composition meant to obscure some of the traditional expectations of jazz, both harmonically and melodically, Donohue said. It took him about a year to create and was also included on a CD distributed internationally in a recent issue of JAZZIZ magazine.

The CD also features recordings by musicians from The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Western Michigan University and other top jazz programs across the country.

Prior to being featured in the magazine, “Ofuscato” won an award for Best Composition in the college division last year at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in Moscow.

“He is a uniquely talented guy,” Yasinitsky said. “It was sad to see him go, but it will be nice to see what he is going to do.” Donohue is now living in Greensboro, N.C., where he is performing locally and in the process of forming a private music studio to teach saxophone, clarinet, and flute.

The publicity he has gotten from the magazine has helped his career immensely, but in very subtle ways, he said.

“People can search my name on Google, and there is just a little bit more information about me available,” Donohue said. “It has helped me gain more students, and given me more opportunities to play my music.” Donohue hopes to someday teach in an active jazz studies program at a college or university.

“I know he’s going to have a good career in music,” Yasinitsky said. “And that’s a difficult thing. He has the capabilities to play professionally. I see his career being a mix of performing professionally, teaching and composing.” Donohue began playing the clarinet at age 9, and the saxophone at age 13. He received his undergraduate degree in music and jazz composition at the Berklee College of Music in 1999. He then went on to work in the cruise line industry as a saxophonist and musical director until 2005.

He is inspired by musicians Dave Douglas and Maria Schneider because of their ability to propagate jazz in such new ways, Donohue said.

“I think it’s important in jazz to always to be doing new things, not just regurgitating the old,” he said.

But nothing has been more inspiring for Donohue then when he worked with Yasinitsky at WSU.

“I can’t thank him enough for all the specific things I’ve learned about the saxophone and jazz composition – it’s invaluable,” Donohue said. “But also how to go about my career. He really taught me the finer points of becoming involved in the academic sphere of jazz education.”