Donald Harrison
Encyclopedia
Donald Harrison, Jr. is an American
jazz
saxophonist
from New Orleans
, Louisiana
.
and Berklee College of Music
. He played with Roy Haynes
, Jack McDuff
, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers
, Terence Blanchard
and Don Pullen
in the 1980s. He also played with the re-formed Headhunters
band in the 1990s. In 1991 he recorded "Indian Blues," which captured the sound and culture of Congo Square
in a jazz context. In 1994 Harrison created the "Nouveau Swing" style of jazz, which merges the swing beat with many of today's popular dance styles of music, as well as styles that are prominent from his cultural experiences in his hometown.
Harrison also performs in the smooth jazz
genre. His group Donald Harrison Electric Band has recorded popular radio hits and have charted in the top ten of Billboard
magazine. He performs as a producer, singer and rapper in the traditional Afro-New Orleans Culture and Hiphop genres with his group, The New Sounds of Mardi Gras. The group, which has two recorded 2CDs, was started four years ago and has made appearances worldwide. Harrison is the Big Chief of the Congo Nation Afro-New Orleans Cultural Group which keeps alive the secret traditions of Congo Square
.
Harrison also writes orchestra
l works for major orchestras. Harrison was chosen as the "person of the year" by Jazziz magazine in January 2007. His latest CDs, 3D Vols. I, II, and III, feature him in three different musical genres. On Vol. I he writes, plays, and produces music in the smooth jazz, and R&B style. On Vol. II he writes, produces and plays in the classic jazz style. On Vol. III he writes plays and produces in the hiphop genre.
, Harrison is working on a large orchestral work which investigates what it is like to be a participant in New Orleans culture. Harrison was forced to evacuate New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina
, and proceeds from his album Nouveau Swing will go to victims of the hurricanes.
Harrison has nurtured a number of young musicians including the young Grammy
-nominated trumpeter Christian Scott
(Harrison's nephew), as well as Mark Whitfield
, Cyrus Chestnut
, Christian McBride
, and The Notorious B.I.G.
Harrison was featured in Spike Lee
's HBO documentary, When the Levees Broke
, and in HBO drama TV series "Treme"
Harrison also directed the New Jazz School for the Isidore Newman School in New Orleans,.
With Esperanza Spalding
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
from New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
Biography
Harrison studied at the New Orleans Center for Creative ArtsNew Orleans Center for Creative Arts
New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, or NOCCA, is a professional arts training center for secondary school-age children. NOCCA is located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The school offers instruction in creative writing, dance, media arts, music, theatre arts, and visual arts, with a summer culinary...
and Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
. He played with Roy Haynes
Roy Haynes
Roy Owen Haynes is an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Haynes is among the most recorded drummers in jazz, and in a career lasting more than 60 years has played in a wide range of styles ranging from swing and bebop to jazz fusion and avant-garde jazz...
, Jack McDuff
Jack McDuff
"Brother" Jack McDuff was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz era of the 1960s, often performing with an organ trio.-Career:...
, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers
Art Blakey
Arthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
, Terence Blanchard
Terence Blanchard
Terence Oliver Blanchard is an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, arranger, and film score composer. Since he emerged on the scene in 1980 with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra and then shortly thereafter with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Blanchard has been a leading artist in jazz...
and Don Pullen
Don Pullen
Don Pullen was an American jazz pianist and organist. Pullen developed a strikingly individual style throughout his career. He composed masterworks ranging from blues to bebop and modern jazz...
in the 1980s. He also played with the re-formed Headhunters
The Headhunters
The Headhunters are an American jazz-funk fusion band, best known for their albums they recorded as a backing band of jazz keyboard player Herbie Hancock during the 1970s. Hancock's debut album with the group, Head Hunters, is one of the best-selling jazz/fusion records of all time.-History:Herbie...
band in the 1990s. In 1991 he recorded "Indian Blues," which captured the sound and culture of Congo Square
Congo Square
Congo Square is an open space within Louis Armstrong Park, which is located in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, just across Rampart Street north of the French Quarter. The Tremé neighborhood is famous for its history of African American music....
in a jazz context. In 1994 Harrison created the "Nouveau Swing" style of jazz, which merges the swing beat with many of today's popular dance styles of music, as well as styles that are prominent from his cultural experiences in his hometown.
Harrison also performs in the smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
genre. His group Donald Harrison Electric Band has recorded popular radio hits and have charted in the top ten of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine. He performs as a producer, singer and rapper in the traditional Afro-New Orleans Culture and Hiphop genres with his group, The New Sounds of Mardi Gras. The group, which has two recorded 2CDs, was started four years ago and has made appearances worldwide. Harrison is the Big Chief of the Congo Nation Afro-New Orleans Cultural Group which keeps alive the secret traditions of Congo Square
Congo Square
Congo Square is an open space within Louis Armstrong Park, which is located in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, just across Rampart Street north of the French Quarter. The Tremé neighborhood is famous for its history of African American music....
.
Harrison also writes orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
l works for major orchestras. Harrison was chosen as the "person of the year" by Jazziz magazine in January 2007. His latest CDs, 3D Vols. I, II, and III, feature him in three different musical genres. On Vol. I he writes, plays, and produces music in the smooth jazz, and R&B style. On Vol. II he writes, produces and plays in the classic jazz style. On Vol. III he writes plays and produces in the hiphop genre.
, Harrison is working on a large orchestral work which investigates what it is like to be a participant in New Orleans culture. Harrison was forced to evacuate New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, and proceeds from his album Nouveau Swing will go to victims of the hurricanes.
Harrison has nurtured a number of young musicians including the young Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-nominated trumpeter Christian Scott
Christian Scott
Christian Scott, born March 31, 1983, in New Orleans, Louisiana, is the 2010 Edison Award winner for Best International Jazz Artist and a Grammy Award-nominated jazz trumpeter, composer and producer. He has been heralded by JazzTimes magazine as "the Architect of a new commercially viable fusion"...
(Harrison's nephew), as well as Mark Whitfield
Mark Whitfield
Mark Whitfield is an American hard bop and soul-jazz guitarist born in Syosset, New York, probably better known for his recordings as bandleader for both the Verve and Warner Bros. Records record labels...
, Cyrus Chestnut
Cyrus Chestnut
Cyrus Chestnut is an American jazz pianist, songwriter, and producer. In 2006, Josh Tyrangiel, music critic for Time Magazine, wrote: "What makes Chestnut the best jazz pianist of his generation is a willingness to abandon notes and play space." Chestnut enjoys mixing styles and resists being...
, Christian McBride
Christian McBride
Christian McBride is an American jazz bassist. His father, Lee Smith, and his great uncle, Howard Cooper, are well known Philadelphia bassists who served as McBride's early mentors...
, and The Notorious B.I.G.
The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
Harrison was featured in Spike Lee
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
's HBO documentary, When the Levees Broke
When the Levees Broke
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts is a 2006 documentary film directed by Spike Lee about the devastation of New Orleans, Louisiana due to the failure of the levees during Hurricane Katrina. It was filmed in late August and early September 2005, and premiered at the New Orleans Arena on...
, and in HBO drama TV series "Treme"
Harrison also directed the New Jazz School for the Isidore Newman School in New Orleans,.
As leader
- The New Sounds of Mardi Gras Vol 1 - (Hip-Hop)
- The New Sounds of Mardi Gras Vol 2 - (Hip-Hop)
- Evolution Revolution - with The HeadhuntersThe HeadhuntersThe Headhunters are an American jazz-funk fusion band, best known for their albums they recorded as a backing band of jazz keyboard player Herbie Hancock during the 1970s. Hancock's debut album with the group, Head Hunters, is one of the best-selling jazz/fusion records of all time.-History:Herbie...
- Live - with Clark TerryClark TerryClark Terry is an American swing and bop trumpeter, a pioneer of the fluegelhorn in jazz, educator, NEA Jazz Masters inductee, and recipient of the 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award...
- Live at The Supper Club - with Lena HorneLena HorneLena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
- 1991: Indian Blues
- 1994: The Power of Cool
- 1996: Nouveau Swing
- 1997: Free To Be
- 1999: Paradise Found
- 2001: Spirits of Congo Square
- 2002: Kind of New
- 2003: Real Life Stories
- 2004: Heroes - with Ron CarterRon CarterRon Carter is an American jazz double-bassist. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Carter is also an acclaimed cellist who has recorded numerous times on that...
and Billy CobhamBilly CobhamWilliam C. Cobham is a Panamanian American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader, who has called Switzerland home since the late 1970s.... - 2005: Free Style
- 2006: "NY Cool" Live at The Blue Note
- 2006: The Survivor
- 2007: 3D Vol I Smooth Jazz
- 2008: 3D Vol II Classic Jazz
- 2008: The Chosen Classic Jazz
- 2009: 3D Vol III Hip-Hop
As sideman
With Don PullenDon Pullen
Don Pullen was an American jazz pianist and organist. Pullen developed a strikingly individual style throughout his career. He composed masterworks ranging from blues to bebop and modern jazz...
- The Sixth SenseThe Sixth Sense (Don Pullen album)The Sixth Sense is an album by American jazz pianist Don Pullen recorded in 1985 for the Italian Black Saint label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Stephen Cook awarded the album 4 stars stating "Reflecting Pullen's own quality piano work, all the soloists make impressive contributions throughout...
(Black Saint, 1985)
With Esperanza Spalding
Esperanza Spalding
Esperanza Spalding is an American multi-instrumentalist best known as a jazz bassist and singer, who draws upon many genres in her own compositions...
- Esperanza (Heads up, 2008)