Donald Harrison, Jr., to Bring the Musical Majesty of New Orleans to the Garde Oasis Room with "A Night in Treme"

 

Performance supported by the Jazz@Garde Community Fund

(New London) Saxophonist, singer and composer Donald Harrison, Jr., and his quintet, brings the heart and soul of New Orleans music to the Garde Arts Center's Oasis Room on Tuesday, June 28, at 7:30 p.m. with "A Night in Treme" The Musical Majesty of New Orleans. The event, supported by the Jazz@Garde Community Fund, will include a pre-performance Chat and Dine at 6:30 p.m. catered by Singapore's Grill & Sushi Bar and a Community Jazz Master Class at 3:30 p.m.

Called one of the most important musicians of the new millennium by CBS Sunday Morning, Harrison, also known as "The King of Nouveau Swing," merges acoustic swing with modern R&B, second-line, hip-hop and reggae rhythms. His smooth jazz recording, "The Power of Cool," went to the top of Billboard Magazine’s Smooth Jazz and R&B charts and is considered a classic. For David Simon's and Eric Overmyer's acclaimed HBO series "Treme" (pronounced Tre–may), Harrison, as show consultant, helped develop characters based on his life in modern jazz music and New Orleans culture. As a gritty, affectionate and ground level post–Katrina character study centered on the Crescent City neighborhood that gives the show its name, the eclectic and infectious sounds of "Treme" shine a welcome national spotlight on a place where music is inextricably woven into the fabric of every day life.

Harrison has also written and performed as a Hip-hop MC. His influence on rap culture as an early mentor of The Notorious BIG, his neighbor in Brooklyn, was documented on VH-1. He is also master singer/dancer in traditional New Orleans culture. Harrison also serves as the Big Chief of the Congo Nation Afro-New Orleans Cultural Group which keeps alive the secret traditions of Congo Square, an open space within Louis Armstrong Park located in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans, La. In the 1700-1800s, Congo Square was the only place in America where African slaves were allowed to perform their own music and dance.
At the young age of 19, Harrison began working with Roy Haynes and later Jack McDuff at age 20. He joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers at age 21. A few years later, Harrison co-led a band with Terence Blanchard that had an enormous impact on the development of the "neo-conservative" movement. After that group split in 1989, Harrison became a prodigious leader releasing a number of well-received records. Harrison has also discovered and nurtured some of the finest young jazz musicians like the young trumpeter Christian Scott, Mark Whitfield, Dwayne Burno, Christian McBride and Cyrus Chestnut.
Harrison will be joined on stage by his quintet featuring Detroit Brooks, guitar; Zaccai Curtis, piano; Max Moran, bass; and Joe Dyson, drums.

The Garde also invites musicians to learn from Harrison at a community Jazz Master Class, an hour of demonstration and select performance opportunities for serious musicians and students, in the Oasis room at 3:30 p.m. The class is free to ticket holders and students ages 12 and under to 17. All other participants $20 registration. Limited seats. Call the Garde Box Office at 860-444-7373, ext 1 to make a reservation. Please indicate instrument if planning on bringing to the class.

Tickets to Donald Harrison, Jr. Quintet "A Night in Treme" are $40 and are available at the Garde Box Office, 325 State St., New London, Conn. The Garde Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and two hours prior to curtain on performance days. Tickets may be purchased online at www.gardearts.org or by phone during regular box office hours at (860) 444-7373, ext. 1.

CALENDAR LISTING:

WHAT: Donald Harrison, Jr. Quintet "A Night in Treme"
WHEN: Tuesday, June 28, at 7:30 p.m; Chat & Dine at 6:30 p.m.; Jazz Master Class at 3:30 p.m.
WHERE: Garde Arts Center, Oasis Room, 325 State St, New London, CT 06320
TICKETS: $40 general admission
BOX OFFICE: (860) 444-7373, ext. 1 or www.gardearts.org

 

About the Garde Arts Center

Now in its eighty-second season, the Garde Arts Center is southeastern Connecticut’s non-profit center for the performing arts. The Garde owns and operates the historic 1450-seat Garde Theatre and the 130-seat Oasis Room where it presents musicals, opera, orchestras, contemporary music, film, dance, and family events. Home of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, hosts performances by regional arts organizations and provides educational programs for more than 12,000 young people. Under the leadership of Steve Sigel, executive director, since 1988, the Garde has become a major catalyst for the cultural and economic revitalization of New London.