Donald Harrison Highlights 1960 - Born and raised in New Orleans, LA 1976 - 1978 Saxophone studies with Edward Kidd Jordan 1976 - 1978 Doc Paulin New Orleans Brass Band 1978 - 1979 Saxophone studies with Alvin Batiste 1978 - 1979 Formed Baton Rouge funk band 1979 - 1982 Attended The Berklee College of Music 1979 - 1982 Saxophone studies with Bill Pierce, Andy McGhee, and Joe Viola 1979 - 1995 Played and recorded with Roy Haynes 1980 - Played with Jack Mcduff 1982 - 1999 Moved to New York from New Orleans 1982 - 1986 Played and recorded with Art Blakey 1986 - Recorded with Tony Williams, and Ron Carter 1986 - Recorded with Don Pullen 1986 - 1989 Co-led group with Terence Blanchard group won 2 French Grammy’s 1986 - 1988 Mentored Chris Wallace on music and life. Wallace later gained fame as Notorious BIG and is considered the King of East Coast Rap 1987 - Played with Miles Davis 1988 - Recorded with Digable Planets (jazz hip-hop group) 1989 Won Sony Innovators Award 1989 - Started Jazz Quartet 1989 - Began working with director Spike Lee 1990 - Began to help jazz artist like Carl Allen, Mark Whitfield, and Cyrus Chestnut get their first recording deals. 1990 - recorded ground-breaking jazz recording Indian Blues 1990 - Joined Eddie palmieri 1990 - Joined Bill Lee’s Mo Betta Blues Quartet 1990 - Joined Larry Coryell recorded Live in Bahia, Brazil 1990 - 1994 Freelanced around New York and toured with many jazz greats and worked in the jingle industry 1994 - Recorded The Power of Cool smooth jazz CD that became a classic 1994 - 1996 Played with Lena Horne 1995 - 1997 Meet The Composers Residency where he developed Noveau Swing style of jazz and began composing and performing classical music for symphonic orchestra. 1996 - Recorded ground-breaking CD Noveau Swing for Impulse records 1997 - Organized quintet comprised of 16 to 25 year-olds to expose new ideas to the jazz world. 1999 - Started record company and cut Paradise Found which introduced his nephew 16 year-old New Orleans high school student Christian Scott 1999 - Started The Congo Nation Mardi Gras Indians to honor his father Big Chief Donald Harrison, Sr. and further New Orleans African roots culture 1999 - Recorded The New Sounds of Mardi Gras which merges New Orleans traditional music with hip-hop 2003 - Recorded Freestyle hip-hop inspired jazz recording 2003 - Recorded Heroes with Billy Cobham and Ron Carter 2003 - Along with Bill Taylor started the Tipitina’s internship program to help New Orleans area high school students become professionals at an early age 2003 - Recorded The New Sounds of Mardi Gras II 2004 - Recorded New York Cool with Ron Carter and Billy Cobham 2005 - Began hiring New Orleans area high school students for his live performances to give them experience of being in professional settings at an early age. 2006 - Recorded his second smooth jazz CD, 3D vol. I 2006 - Began recordings which will feature New Orleans area high school and professional musicians .