Saxophonist, composer, and Big Chief of the Congo Nation Mardi Gras Indian tribe, Donald Harrison Jr. is one of New Orleans' most complete musical figures — a world-class jazz saxophonist who has spent his career merging the city's African American cultural traditions with the contemporary jazz he learned under Art Blakey.
Biography
Harrison studied with Ellis Marsalis and attended Berklee before joining Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and co-leading a celebrated quintet with Terence Blanchard. His 1992 album Indian Blues, made with Dr. John, broke ground by incorporating Mardi Gras Indian rhythms and chants into a jazz framework, and his subsequent work has continued to explore the deep connections between the city's street culture and its jazz tradition. As an educator, he founded the New Jazz School and the Tipitina's Intern Program, both of which have trained dozens of young New Orleans musicians.
Discography
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