BIG CHIEF DONALD HARRISON
New Orleans born saxophonist and composer Donald Harrison is a master in every era and style of jazz, soul, funk, and as a composer of orchestral classical music.
An NEA Jazz Master, he has appeared as an actor and/or musician in HBO’s Treme, Jonathan Demme’s film Rachel Getting Married, Marvel’s Luke Cage and Spike Lee’s When The Levee Broke. He’s recorded and performed with jazz artists such as Roy Haynes, Art Blakey, Eddie Palmieri, Lena Horne, McCoy Tyner, Miles Davis, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham and Dr. Lonnie Smith.
He has been a mentor to artists as diverse as The Notorious Big, Jon Batiste, Trombone Shorty, and Esperanza Spaulding. Descending from a long lineage of Afro-New Orleans’ Mardi Gras Indians, he is the official Big Chief of Congo Square and was made a Chief in 2019 by Queen Diambi Kabatusuila in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa.
We guarantee that a show with Chief Harrison won’t just be great music, it will be a highly entertaining educational experience on the roots and journey of American jazz with New Orleans as its cradle and source.
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SHAYNA STEELE
Shayna Steeleis a powerhouse vocalist who is bound to shake the Faena Theater rafters. A consummate jazz singer, she began her career as a musical theater artist, appearing on Broadway in shows such as Rent and Hairspray and going on to sing backup with superstars Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna, and Bette Midler before stepping out on her own as a solo artist.
Her album ‘Watch Me Fly’ hit #3 on the U.S. iTunes Jazz Charts and her self-penned song “Gone Under” from the same album was recorded by Snarky Puppy with Shayna for their ‘Family Dinner’ album resulting in almost 2 million views on YouTube.
She is a regular guest artist with Grammy winning trumpeter Chris Botti and continues to tour throughout the world.
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ETIENNE CHARLES
Trinidad-born trumpet player Etienne Charles is a performer, composer, and storyteller, who is continuously searching for untold stories and sounds with which to tell them.
A Guggenheim Fellow, in 2022 he received a commission to compose and perform his composition ‘San Juan Hill’ with the New York Philharmonic for the opening of New York’s Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall. A recent addition to the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, Charles brings his special project, Traces, to our series.
Traces follows the journey of Sephardic music from the Middle East to Europe and to Latin America.
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Three Wishes
Marian McPartland was hanging out with the Baroness when she inquired about her three wishes and she responded by telling her:
- “I don’t need three wishes. Just one. But I can’t tell you what it is.”
*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats ~ Compiled and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
David Buckley Wilborn was born April 11, 1904 in Springfield, Ohio, on April 11, 1904. He started on piano at the age of 12 but switched to banjo soon after. He played with Cecil and Lloyd Scott in 1922, then joined William McKinney’s Synco Septet, which became the Cotton Pickers soon after. He sang and played banjo for the group until its dissolution in 1934, and when it reformed a short time later he remained in the group until 1937.
After 1937, Dave worked as a bandleader until 1950, after which he left full-time performance. When David Hutson formed the New McKinney’s Cotton Pickers, Wilborn also played in this ensemble. He sang and played on their albums New McKinney’s Cotton Pickers released in 1972 and their 1973 You’re Driving Me Crazy.
Banjoist and vocalist Dave Wilborn, who recorded with Louis Armstrong in 1928, transitioned during a performance in Detroit, Michigan on April 25, 1982.
