Donald Harrison

{{About|the musician|the surgeon|Donald Harrison (surgeon)|the pipe organ builder|G. Donald Harrison}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| honorific_prefix =

| name = Donald Harrison Jr

| image = Donald Harrison, Jr..jpg

| caption = Donald Harrison Jr. at the New Orleans Jazz Fest 2007

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|6|23|mf=y}}

| birth_place = New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.

| genre = {{flatlist|

Jazz
funk
soul
classical (latter as composer)

}}

| occupation = Musician

| instrument = Saxophone

| years_active = 1980s–present

| label = {{flatlist|

}}

| associated_acts = The Cookers

| website = {{URL|www.donaldharrison.com}}

}}

Donald Harrison Jr. (born June 23, 1960){{cite book|title=The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-580-8|page=192}} is an American jazz saxophonist and the Big Chief of The Congo Square Nation Afro-New Orleans Cultural Group from New Orleans, Louisiana.

He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Berklee College of Music in 2021. He is also an NEA Jazz Master. He is the uncle and former tutor of Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, also known as Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah.

Biography

Harrison was born to Big Chief Donald Harrison Sr in 1960 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The foundation of Harrison's music comes from his lifelong participation in New Orleans culture. He started in New Orleans second-line culture and studied New Orleans secret tribal culture, under his father, Big Chief Donald Harrison Sr. He began participating as a masked Mardi Gras Indian at the age of two years, with the title "Little Chief of the Creole Wild West." Whereas, Harrison Jr. is currently the Chief of Congo Square in Afro-New Orleans Culture.

Harrison began playing alto saxophone at the age of 16, and went on to study at the Berklee College of Music.

As a professional musician, Harrison worked with Roy Haynes and Jack McDuff, before joining Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers with Terence Blanchard and recorded albums in a quintet until 1989. Two years later, Harrison released a tribute album to Blakey, For Art's Sake.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/for-arts-sake-mw0000676993|title=For Art's Sake - Donald Harrison Quintet | Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic|access-date=July 27, 2021}} This was followed by an album that reached into Harrison's New Orleans heritage, with guest appearances by Dr. John and Cyrus Chestnut and chants by the Guardians of the Flame Mardi Gras Indians.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/indian-blues-mw0000078210|title=Indian Blues - Donald Harrison | Songs, Reviews, Credits |website=AllMusic|access-date=July 27, 2021}} He devoted half the album, Nouveau Swing (1997), to mixing the swing beat of modern acoustic jazz, with modern dance music and half to mixing the swing beat with Caribbean-influenced music.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/nouveau-swing-mw0000020678|title=Nouveau Swing - Donald Harrison | Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic|access-date=July 27, 2021}} On the next album, his experiments continued by mixing modern jazz's swing beat with hip hop, Latin music, R&B, and smooth jazz.{{cite web |last1=Jurek |first1=Thom |title=Donald Harrison |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/donald-harrison-mn0000184406/biography |website=AllMusic |access-date=4 September 2018}}{{cite news|last1=Ratliff |first1=Ben |title=A Fusion With Funk, Thoroughly Mixed |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/06/arts/jazz-review-a-fusion-with-funk-thoroughly-mixed.html?smid=fb-share_-_dona.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=4 September 2018 |language=en |date=6 March 1999}}

His albums, 3D Vols. I, II, and III, present him in three different musical genres. On Vol. I he writes, plays, and produces 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 hip hop.

His group, Donald Harrison Electric Band, has recorded popular radio hits and has charted in the top ten of Billboard magazine. He performs as a producer, singer, and rapper in traditional New Orleans jazz and hip hop genres with his group, The New Sounds of Mardi Gras. The group, which has recorded two albums, was started in 2001 and has made appearances worldwide.

In 1999, Harrison was named the Big Chief of the Congo Square Nation Afro-New Orleans Cultural Group, which keeps alive the secret traditions of Congo Square.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/donald-harrison-mn0000184406/biography|title=Donald Harrison | Biography & History|website=AllMusic|access-date=July 27, 2021}} Commenting on his choice for the group's name, Harrison has said, "I have a lot of respect for the guys who consider themselves to be Mardi Gras Indians, but I moved into describing what I do culturally in New Orleans to be Afro-New Orleans music from traveling all over the world. Going to places like Cuba and Brazil, they always put Afro in front of things that are from their country but are a derivative of African culture. For instance, Eddie Palmieri always says Afro-Caribbean when describing his music."

In 2013, Harrison began playing with the Cookers, a New Orleans supergroup whose members include, as of 2024, Billy Harper, Cecil McBee, George Cables, Eddie Henderson, Billy Hart, and David Weiss.

In 2016, Harrison recorded his first orchestral work with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. He followed up the piece for the MSO by writing classical orchestral works for the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, The New York Chamber Orchestra, and The Jalapa Symphony Orchestra in 2017.

Harrison has nurtured a number of young musicians including trumpeter Christian Scott (Harrison's nephew), Mark Whitfield, Christian McBride, and The Notorious B.I.G.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128916682 |title=Biggie Smalls: The Voice That Influenced A Generation |website=Npr.org |date=2010-08-02 |access-date=2010-08-18}} He has taught at the College of William & Mary, the New York's New School of Music, and the Tipitina's Internship Program. He has also served as Artistic Director of the Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp starting in 2022.

Harrison was in Spike Lee's HBO documentary, When the Levees Broke, and has appeared as himself in eleven episodes of the television series, Treme.{{cite web|url=http://www.nola.com/jazzfest/index.ssf/2010/04/a_one-man_jazz_festival_-_dona.html |title=Donald Harrison: 'A one-man jazz festival' - Donald Harrison Jr. a complex keeper of local culture |work=Times Picayune |date=2010-04-25|access-date=2013-08-15}}

Personal life

He is married to Mary Alicė Spears-Harrison and the father of Victoria Harrison.

Awards and honors

= National Endowment for the Arts =

In 2022, the National Endowment for the Arts recognized Harrison with the A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship for Jazz Advocacy. Harrison is "known for his hard-swinging improvisational style and the creation of 'Nouveau Swing,' a blend of jazz with R&B, hip-hop, rock, and soul. And his dedication to preserving the music and culture of New Orleans has been crucial to assuring its important legacy survives."{{Cite web |date=1960-06-23 |title=Donald Harrison, Jr. |url=https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/donald-harrison-jr |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231130052308/https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/donald-harrison-jr |archive-date=2023-11-30 |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=National Endowment for the Arts |language=en}}

= [[OffBeat (music magazine)|''OffBeat'']]'s Best of The Beat Awards =

class="wikitable"

!Year

!Category

!Result

!Ref.

2017

|Best Saxophonist

|{{won}}

|{{Cite web |date=2011-09-08 |title=Best of the Beat Award Winners: Complete List |url=https://www.offbeat.com/best-of-the-beat-award-winners-complete-list/,%20https://www.offbeat.com/best-of-the-beat-award-winners-complete-list/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=OffBeat Magazine |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814182218/https://www.offbeat.com/best-of-the-beat-award-winners-complete-list/ |url-status=dead }}

2020

|Best Saxophonist

|{{won}}

2021-22

|Best Saxophonist

|{{won}}

2023

|Best Saxophonist

|{{won}}

= Other awards =

Harrison has received two Grand Prix du Disque awards.{{Cite web |title=Donald Harrison Jr. |url=https://college.berklee.edu/people/donald-harrison-jr |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923201049/https://college.berklee.edu/people/donald-harrison-jr |archive-date=2023-09-23 |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=Berklee College of Music |language=en}}

Harrison was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Berklee College of Music in 2021.{{Cite web |last=Wyckoff |first=Geraldine |date=2022-07-27 |title=Jazz Master Donald Harrison Passes Down Afro-New Orleans Musical Culture - OffBeat Magazine |url=https://www.offbeat.com/articles/jazz-master-donald-harrison-passes-down-afro-new-orleans-music/,%20https://www.offbeat.com/articles/jazz-master-donald-harrison-passes-down-afro-new-orleans-music/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230829160934/https://www.offbeat.com/articles/jazz-master-donald-harrison-passes-down-afro-new-orleans-music/ |archive-date=2023-08-29 |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=OffBeat Magazine |language=en-US}}

Harrison was chosen Person of the Year by Jazziz magazine in January 2007.

Discography

=As leader=

1990: Full Circle (Sweet Basil)
1991: For Art's Sake (Candid)
1992: Indian Blues (Candid) with Dr. John
1994: The Power of Cool (CTI)
1997: Nouveau Swing (Impulse!)
1999: Free to Be (Impulse!)
2000: Spirits of Congo Square (Candid)
2001: Real Life Stories (Nagel Heyer)
2002: Kind of New (Candid)
2003: Paradise Found (Fomp)
2004: Heroes (Nagel Heyer)
2004: Free Style (Nagel Heyer)
2005: New York Cool: Live at The Blue Note (Half Note)
2005: 3D (Fomp)
2006: The Survivor (Nagel Heyer)
2008: The Chosen (Nagel Heyer)
2011: This Is Jazz: Live at The Blue Note (Half Note){{cite web |title=Donald Harrison {{!}} Album Discography {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/donald-harrison-mn0000184406/discography |website=AllMusic |access-date=5 September 2018}}

As co-leader with Terence Blanchard

1983: New York Second Line (Concord)
1984: Discernment (Concord)
1986: Nascence (Columbia)
1986: Eric Dolphy & Booker Little Remembered Live at Sweet Basil, Vol. 1 (Evidence)
1986: Fire Waltz: Eric Dolphy & Booker Little Remembered Live At Sweet Basil, Vol. 2 (Evidence)
1987: Crystal Stair (Columbia)
1988: Black Pearl (Columbia)

=As sideman=

With Art Blakey

Oh-By the Way (Timeless, 1982)
New York Scene (Concord, 1984)
Blue Night (Timeless, 1985)
New Year's Eve at Sweet Basil (Evidence, 1985)

With Joanne Brackeen

Turnaround (Evidence, 1992)

With The Headhunters

Evolution Revolution (Basin Street, 2003)
Speakers In The House (Ropeadope, 2022)

With Eddie Henderson

Witness to History (Smoke Sessions, 2022){{cite web |title=Witness to History |url=https://eddiehenderson.bandcamp.com/album/witness-to-history |website=eddiehenderson.bandcamp.com |access-date=December 31, 2023}}

With the Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project

Simpático (ArtistShare, 2007)

With Eddie Palmieri

Palmas (Elektra Nonesuch, 1995)
Arete (RMM, 1995)
Vortex (RMM, 1996)
Listen Here! (Concord, 2005)
Wisdom/Sabiduria (Ropeadope, 2017)

With Don Pullen

The Sixth Sense (Black Saint, 1985)

With Lonnie Smith

Rise Up! (Palmetto, 2008)

With Esperanza Spalding

Esperanza (Heads Up, 2008)

With Jane Monheit

Taking a Chance on Love (Sony Music Entertainment, 2004)

=On DVD=

Live with Clark Terry
Live at the Supper Club with Lena Horne

With Larry Coryell "Live in Bahia

References

External links

{{Official|http://www.donaldharrison.com/}}
[https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/donald-harrison-jr Donald Harrison Jr. Interview] NAMM Oral History Library (2017)

Category:1960 births

Category:Living people

Category:African-American saxophonists

Category:American jazz saxophonists

Category:American male saxophonists

Category:Hard bop saxophonists

Category:Jazz-funk saxophonists

Category:Jazz musicians from New Orleans

Category:The Jazz Messengers members

Category:Post-bop saxophonists

Category:Columbia Records artists

Category:Impulse! Records artists