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Donald Harrison, Jr. |
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Saxophonist Donald Harrison is the originator of the Nouveau Swing style which merges acoustic swing with modern R&B, second-line, hip-hop, and reggae rhythms. Donald is a proven master of many musical genres, has written and performed many innovative classic jazz compositions, some of which are now part of the standard repertoire of jazz. As a saxophonist he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians today and remains inextricably tied to his New Orleans roots. The son of late great Big 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, Donald became a prodigious leader releasing a number of well-received records. He has also discovered and nurtured some of the finest young jazz musicians including Christian Scott, Mark Whitfield, Dwayne Burno, Christian mcbride, Cyrus Chestnut, as well as rap icon The Notorious BIG. He also worked throughout the 90's with Lena Horne, Spike Lee, Latin jazz giant Eddie Palmieri and the smash hip–hop groups, Jazzmatazz, The Notorius BIG, and Digable Planets. This breadth of experience fuels Donald's dynamic sound. In the new millennium, Donald has written and performed major orchestral works. |