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Donald Harrison, Jr. - The King of Nouveau Swing
New Orleans native, Alto saxophonist Donald Harrison is one of the most important musicians of the new millennium. He is the originator of the Nouveau Swing style which merges acoustic swing with modern R&B, second-line, hip-hop, Mardi Gras Indian music (New Orleans African American roots culture), and reggae rhythms. His smooth jazz recording, The Power of Cool, went to the top of Billboard Magazines Smooth Jazz and R&B charts and is considered a classic. His ground-breaking recording, Indian Bluescaptured the essence of Mardi Gras Indian culture within a jazz context. His latest New Orleans recording, The New Sounds of Mardi Gras, updates New Orleans music. It puts the sounds of Mardi Gras into Hip-hop, R&B, and Funk. It also marks Harrisons debut as a rapper. The great singer-pianist Dr. John says of the recording, This is the freshest thing to come out of New Orleans in years.
The son of late great Mardi Gras Indian Chief Donald Harrison, Sr. began working with Roy Haynes at age 19 and Jack McDuff at age 20. He joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers at age 21. A few years later, he co-led a band with Terence Blanchard that had an enormous impact on the development of the "neo-conservative" movement. After that group split in 1989, Harrison became a prodigious leader releasing a number of well-received records. Harrison has also discovered and nurtured some of the finest young jazz musicians like the young trumpeter Christian Scott, Mark Whitfield, Dwayne Burno, Christian McBride, Cyrus Chestnut, as well as rap icon The Notorious BIG who was his neighbor in Brooklyn for eight years. He also worked throughout the 90's with a wide variety of world-class talents. Such notables include Lena Horne, Spike Lee, Latin jazz giant Eddie Palmieri, and the smash hiphop groups, Jazzmatazz, The Notorius BIG, and Digable Planets. All of this diverse experience fuels Harrison's dynamic sound. In the new millennium, Harrison has written and performed major orchestral works. Recently he has performed with his own groups as well as The Head Hunters, Jennifer Holiday, Larry Coryell, and The Art of Four with Billy Cobham, Ron Carter, and James Williams.
In addition, Harrison has worked with a group called the Mardi Gras Indians, which performs African call and response chants during Mardi Gras events. Harrison's father is a leader with the group. These strong African tribal traditions contribute to the rhythmic qualities of the New Orleans jazz tradition.
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LocationJazz at Pearl's
256 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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