Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Donald Harrison: Real Life Stories
Donald Harrison: Real Life Stories
Alto saxophonist Donald Harrison is all about dance. It is danceable rhythms that fuel his nouveau swing vision of jazz. Not necessarily Latin in texture, the rhythm is at once angular and smooth—a musical dichotomy. The 42-year-old New Orleans native has been recording since the mid 1980s and has produced a solid track record writing, arranging and performing original and standard repertoire using his nouveau swing roadmap. It is this vision and road map that allows Harrison the ability to freshen up Sonny Rollins’ "Oleo" and Dizzy Gillespie's "Night in Tunisia." The most daring outing is his cover of the Desmond/Brubeck classic "Take Five," imbuing the song with Latin sensibility.
Harrison is capably supported by the very fine Eric Reed on piano, Vicente Archer on bass, and John Lamkin on drums. Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah provides the brass and the sum of all parts is a swinging recital of something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. Recommended.
Track Listing
Playa Haters; Real Life Stories; Swept from the Sea; Oleo; A Night in Tunisia; Strange Day; Take Five; I'm Barred; Keep the Faith
Personnel
Donald Harrison
saxophone, altoDonald Harrison - Alto Sax; Christian Scott - Trombone; Eric Reed, Jonathan Lefcoski - Piano Vincente Archer - Bass; John Lamkin - Drums
Album information
Title: Real Life Stories | Year Released: 2002 | Record Label: Unknown label
About Donald Harrison
Tags
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Donald Harrison Concerts
Become a Sustaining Member
Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.
Help Build the Future of All About Jazz
Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.
Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.
Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.
