KEYON HARROLD

Jazz St. Louis Creative Advisor and Ferguson native Keyon Harrold returns home to present his brand new commission to close our ’23/24 Season! This season grand finale will see the illustrious musician debut Jazz St. Louis’ much-anticipated, first-ever solo-commissioned work, written to reflect Keyon’s experiences during his  momentous three-year appointment with Jazz St. Louis. Do not miss Harrold take the stage to share with the world a new work that promises to be unique and thoughtful.

Harrold grew up one of sixteen children in a family that prioritized music and community across generations. His grandfather was a police officer who retired to found a drum and bugle corps for local youth, both of his parents were pastors, and nearly all of his siblings sing and perform music to this day. At eighteen, the McCluer High School alum left Ferguson for New York City to enroll in The New School. In New York, he landed his first major gig with Common, an audition he secured on the recommendation of his New School classmate Robert Glasper, and an experience which he says broadened his musical horizons beyond jazz to include funk, Afrobeat, R&B, and hip hop. Harrold was soon performing with stars like Snoop Dogg, Jay Z, Beyonce, Mac Miller, Rihanna, Eminem, Maxwell, Anthony Hamilton, and Chaka Khan.

Harrold has been key in advancing community engagement and broadening our organization’s audience of ardent jazz appreciators. Whether Jazz St. Louis patrons are harmonizing to a soothing rendition of the Bee Gees tune “How Deep Is Your Love” live with PJ Morton, or soaring with inspiration from a Whitaker Jazz Speaks exploration of how hip hop radiated from an iconic disco sample, many indelible memories are being made during Harrold’s extraordinary tenure. This boundary-expanding partnership and commissioned work is all made possible with gracious support from the Mellon Foundation.