Home > Line up 2023 > 21 july 2023 > Big Chief Harrison Jr.

The saxophonist Donald Harrison, born in New Orleans, is a musician/composer considered by the greatest as a master of all eras of jazz, soul and funk, as well as a fantastic composer of classical music. He is also a genius, according to Eddie Palmieri and Mike Clark. At the age of 19, Harrison created a modern jazz version of the New Orleans second-line tradition and introduced his New York Second Line composition to the jazz world in 1979. In the mid-80s, he created the "New Swing", a distinctive sound blending the swing of modern jazz with hip-hop, funk and soul music. In the 90s, Harrison honed his experienced in playing alongside Roy Haynes, Art Blakey, Eddie Palmieri, Dr. John, Lena Horne, McCoy Tyner, Dr. Eddie Henderson, Miles Davis, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Chuck Loeb, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Digable Planets, Guru's Jazzmatazz, The Headhunters, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and The Notorious B.I.G. Over the years, he has played with over 200 jazz masters, created three influential jazz styles and enjoyed great success in the field of smooth jazz. In 2000, he began exploring music from the perspective of quantum physics. With quantum jazz, Harrison understood how to move music from a two-dimensional state to a four-dimensional state. Harrison has mentored artists as diverse as The Notorious B.I.G., Jonathan Batiste, Christian Scott, Trombone Shorty and Esperanza Spalding. In 2022, Harrison received the prestigious NEA Jazz Master Award. The most important thing to understand when it comes to the sound of Harrison and his band is that it feeds on musical concepts that nourish the soul.

Line up

Donald Harrison Jr.: saxophone
Daniel Kaufman: piano
Noriatsu Naraoka: double bass
Brian Richburg: drums