Home » Jazz Articles » Donald Harrison
Jazz Articles about Donald Harrison
Art Blakey and the Young Lions - The Marsalis Bros., Donald Harrison Jr, Bobby Watson (1981 - 1991)
by Russell Perry
As the 1970s came to a close, many musicians searching for alternatives to jazz-rock fusion or free jazz found a home in straight-ahead acoustic jazz. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, whose Blue Note contract was not renewed in 1964, had spent a decade in relative obscurity, when he came roaring back with a series of legendary ensembles that fueled this return to jazz classicism. The alumni of this revived band became the core of The Young Lions, as they ...
Continue ReadingTony Adamo: Was Out Jazz Zone Mad
by Nicholas F. Mondello
The translation of “Adam" from Hebrew--from which the surname Adamo springs--means from the “ground" or “soil." It also derives from the Hebrew word for red, a la “red clay." Perhaps that is why any work from Tony Adamo is rare earth--gritty, and flaming crimson. Was Out Jazz Zone Mad Adamo's latest, his first for Ropeadope, is all of those things and more.Adamo is the Heavyweight Champion of “hipspokenword," wherein lingo meets vocalizing at the corner of jazz and ...
Continue ReadingTony Adamo: Was Out Jazz Zone Mad
by Chris M. Slawecki
Some African cultures preserved their history not by the written but by the spoken word, kept by oral cultural historians known as griots. On Was Out Jazz Zone Mad, vocalist Tony Adamo aspires to serve in this same role, as a verbal historian of both official and unofficial African-American jazz and blues culture. This type of jazz jive might wear quickly thin but Adamo writes about jazz and jazz musicians with such detailed intimacy and vision that his words snap, ...
Continue ReadingDonald Harrison, Ron Carter & Billy Cobham Trio: New York, NY, January 8, 2013
by Dan Bilawsky
Donald Harrison, Ron Carter & Billy Cobham TrioBlue NoteNew York, NYJanuary 8, 2013All-Star groupings are often dreamed up by promoters looking to capitalize on one-off, big name combinations that never really have the opportunity to gel; that's not the case with saxophonist Donald Harrison, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Billy Cobham's trio. A New Orleans modernist who comes from the university of drummer Art Blakey, jazz's preeminent acoustic bassist and a fusion kingpin may seem ...
Continue ReadingDonald Harrison & Quantum Leap: New York City, NY, September 20, 2012
by Ernest Barteldes
Donald Harrison & Quantum LeapThe Jazz StandardNew York City, New YorkSeptember 20, 2012New Orleans-based saxophonist Donald Harrison kicked off the evening's first set with a shuffle-based groove, immediately starting with an improvised solo. The quintet, rounded out by pianist Zaccai Curtis, bassist Max Moran, drummer Joe Dyson and electric guitarist Detroit Brooks, sounded very tight, even though Brooks was not very audible at first. As the band members took their own individual moments, Harrison took ...
Continue ReadingDonald Harrison: This Is Jazz
by Greg Simmons
Saxophonist Donald Harrison's name is writ large on the cover of This Is Jazz, but the album is a collaborative trio in every sense. After all, playing with legendary bassist Ron Carter and drummer extraordinaire Billy Cobham could never be equated with simply hiring sidemen. Recorded live at New York's Blue Note, the six tracks on this album take post- bop expansion to exemplary heights and keep it there for the duration. Harrison has a tight but wandering ...
Continue ReadingDonald Harrison: The Chosen
by Francis Lo Kee
Donald Harrison's The Chosen is dedicated to the people who do their “best, no matter what circumstances come" their way. If you know anything about Harrison, you know that he's from New Orleans and suffered significantly after Hurricane Katrina so he knows what he is talking about. This collection of originals and standards displays Harrison as a saxophonist who prefers the honest, direct route to musical expression. Though there are some intricate approaches to the material, all the pieces display ...
Continue Reading
