Dom Pipkin: Tales of Bad Boys, Bourbon & The Big Easy

Alongside a glittering session career (David Byrne, Ray Davies, Morcheeba), piano player and songwriter Dom Pipkin has been described by Blues in Britain as “one of the world’s greatest exponents of New Orleans piano”. He first discovered the New Orleans style in the early 90s, and has gone on to become a regular visitor and performer in that city, with appearances that include the highly acclaimed “Piano Night” and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival. He is a regular fixture on the European blues and boogie-woogie festival circuit having played 1000’s of club and theatre, radio and TV dates in a career spanning nearly three decades. Jazz star Jamie Cullum says “I can’t hold a candle to this guy”.

Pipkin developed a particular specialisation for the unique flavours of maverick New Orleans piano star James Booker (1939 – 1983) capturing the player’s trademark combination of driving blues married with rhapsodic classical influences. He was invited to play at the world premiere of the documentary “Bayou Maharajah” at SXSW in 2014, and at multiple subsequent screenings of the film.

Pipkin regularly performs and records in New Orleans, and has shared stages with legends such as Allen Toussaint, Dr John and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. Grammy award winner Jon Cleary invites him to jam whenever he’s in town. In live shows Pipkin mixes his own compelling songwriting with blues and Big Easy classics that “..cooks up a steaming musical stew that has the crowd dancing and clapping for more” Classic Rock Blues Magazine.