1. Donald Harrison was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Berklee College of Music in 2021.
15 Facts About Donald Harrison
1. 2.
Donald Harrison is the uncle and former tutor of Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, known as Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah.
3.
Donald Harrison started in New Orleans second-line culture and studied New Orleans secret tribal culture, under his father, Big Chief Donald Harrison Sr.
4.
Donald Harrison began playing alto saxophone at the age of 16, and went on to study at the Berklee College of Music.
5.
Two years later, Donald Harrison released a tribute album to Blakey, For Art's Sake.
6.
Donald Harrison devoted half the album, Nouveau Swing, to mixing the swing beat of modern acoustic jazz, with modern dance music and half to mixing the swing beat with Caribbean-influenced music.
7.
In 1999, Donald 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.
8.
In 2013, Donald 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.
9.
In 2016, Donald Harrison recorded his first orchestral work with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra.
10.
Donald Harrison 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.
11.
Donald Harrison has served as Artistic Director of the Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp starting in 2022.
12.
Donald 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.
13.
Donald Harrison is married to Mary Alice Spears-Harrison and the father of Victoria Harrison.
14.
Donald Harrison was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Berklee College of Music in 2021.
15.
Donald Harrison was chosen Person of the Year by Jazziz magazine in January 2007.