Biography
Canadian pianist, vocalist, and composer Don Breithaupt leads Monkey House, a collective whose sound merges Steely Dan’s sophisticated jazz-rock with bright, intelligent pop melodies. After issuing two critically praised independent albums during the 1990s, the group stayed largely silent through the next decade before resurfacing in 2012 with the more expansive Headquarters. That record initiated a partnership with Alma Records, an imprint under the Universal umbrella that also issued the band’s following efforts, 2016’s Left and 2019’s Friday, both of which expanded Monkey House’s reach beyond North America.
Breithaupt had already begun placing songs with other performers when he launched the project in 1992, drawing its name from Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Welcome to the Monkey House. Although Steely Dan, the Pat Metheny Group, and Weather Report shaped his approach, he deliberately wove stronger melodic hooks into the material; the resulting blend of refined playing, jazz fusion, and pop sensibility surfaced on the debut Welcome to the Club as well as its 1998 successor True Winter. Activity dwindled throughout the 2000s, the sole document being the 2005 anthology Big Money: Singles Remasters Rarities 1992-2005. During that period Breithaupt maintained a parallel career as a songwriter, studio musician, and collaborator with his brother, the songwriter Jeff Breithaupt.
Reviving Monkey House in 2012, Breithaupt brought fresh momentum, recruiting bassist Pat Kilbride and drummer Mark Kelso, adding a complete horn section, and inviting guests such as Rik Emmett of Triumph, Drew Zingg (known for his work with Steely Dan and Boz Scaggs), and Michael Leonhart (also affiliated with Steely Dan). The resulting album, Headquarters, marked the group’s first release on Alma Records. From that point the band maintained a steadier schedule, attracting a broader international audience with Left, which introduced guitarist Justin Abedin, and the subsequent Friday.
Breithaupt had already begun placing songs with other performers when he launched the project in 1992, drawing its name from Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Welcome to the Monkey House. Although Steely Dan, the Pat Metheny Group, and Weather Report shaped his approach, he deliberately wove stronger melodic hooks into the material; the resulting blend of refined playing, jazz fusion, and pop sensibility surfaced on the debut Welcome to the Club as well as its 1998 successor True Winter. Activity dwindled throughout the 2000s, the sole document being the 2005 anthology Big Money: Singles Remasters Rarities 1992-2005. During that period Breithaupt maintained a parallel career as a songwriter, studio musician, and collaborator with his brother, the songwriter Jeff Breithaupt.
Reviving Monkey House in 2012, Breithaupt brought fresh momentum, recruiting bassist Pat Kilbride and drummer Mark Kelso, adding a complete horn section, and inviting guests such as Rik Emmett of Triumph, Drew Zingg (known for his work with Steely Dan and Boz Scaggs), and Michael Leonhart (also affiliated with Steely Dan). The resulting album, Headquarters, marked the group’s first release on Alma Records. From that point the band maintained a steadier schedule, attracting a broader international audience with Left, which introduced guitarist Justin Abedin, and the subsequent Friday.
Albums
Singles
