← back to
nagel heyer records
We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Free Style

by Donald Harrison

supported by
joearnold22
joearnold22 thumbnail
Bert Schurink
Bert Schurink thumbnail
Saki huang
Saki huang thumbnail
Matthew Lowe
Matthew Lowe thumbnail
Francis Dee Dutta PhD
Francis Dee Dutta PhD thumbnail
eisuke_takegami
eisuke_takegami thumbnail
sjrubel
sjrubel thumbnail
jamesrvane@icloud.com
jamesrvane@icloud.com thumbnail
jazzflute
jazzflute thumbnail
/

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      €7 EUR  or more

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Includes unlimited streaming of Free Style via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days

      €14 EUR or more 

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    7
    releases

    Get all 7 Donald Harrison releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Ballads, The Burners, The Chosen, The Survivor, Heroes, Free Style, and Real Life Stories. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      €31.85 EUR or more (35% OFF)

     

1.
Hand Jive 05:50
buy track
2.
Free Style 04:43
buy track
3.
New Hope 05:39
buy track
4.
Get Your Swerve 06:04
buy track
5.
So What 06:44
buy track
6.
Rock Song 04:41
buy track
7.
Well You Needn't 08:04
buy track
8.
Iko Iko 03:11
buy track
9.
Free to Be 07:03
buy track
10.
Heroes (Bonus Track) 06:15
buy track
11.
Candlelight (Bonus Track) 06:33
buy track

about

Donald Harrison is one of the most confident and convincing improvisers in jazz today. The boundary leaping New Orleans alto saxophonist's distinctive broad toned sound is immediately recognizable as his own, regardless of the environment in which it is being heard, be it bebop, hard bop, New Orleans R & B or funk. Harrison has managed to forge his variegated influences and extensive experience into a uniquely personal style.
Free Style is, as its title implies, Harrison's amalgamation of jazz improvisation with funky hip hop rhythms. The youthful accompanying trio of pianist Glen Patscha, bassist Vicente Archer and drummer John Lamkin is well suited to the contemporary music, the melodic and harmonic simplicity of which allows the leader ample space to improvise freely. The disc opens with "Hand Jive", the Johnny Otis rock 'n' roll classic. Harrison transforms the popular piece, taking it uncharacteristically soft and slow, with Patscha's moody chords altering it to more of a dirge. The Harrison composed title track, a spare trio dance with the altoist getting down on top of Archer's insistent bass line and Lamkin's steady drumbeat, lives up to its rap influenced name. "New Hope" is an exquisitely beautiful ode to optimism by the quartet. "Get Your Swerve", another funky trio performance, has some interesting twists, while the quartet's soulful interpretation of "So What" is an alto tour de force played over a backbeat. The collectively composed "Rock Song", covers of "Well You Needn't" and "Iko Iko" and Harrison's "Free To Be" follow similar routes. The disc is filled out with two pieces from Harrison's Heroes CD - worthwhile alternate takes of that date's title track and Ron Carter's "Candlelight".

- Russ Musto, All About Jazz

Donald Harrison, who gained his initial recognition in the 1980s when he was with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and co-led a band with Terence Blanchard, has continued growing and evolving ever since that time. Though underrated, he is currently at the peak of his powers. With this fabulous recording - his third album for Nagel Heyer - Harrison shows one more time that he is a superior post-bop improviser with a sound of his own.

credits

released September 3, 2020

Donald Harrison - alto saxophone
Glenn Patscha - piano
Vicente Archer - bass / John Lamkin - drums

Bonus Tracks:
Donald Harrison - alto saxophone / Ron Carter - bass
Billy Cobham - drums

Recorded on December 1 and 2, 2002 at Avatar Studios,
New York City, by Jim Anderson.

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Donald Harrison image

Donald Harrison New Orleans, Louisiana

contact / help

Contact Donald Harrison

Streaming and
Download help

Report this album or account

If you like Donald Harrison, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Saxophonist Isaiah Collier chats about his new LP and the influence of Pharoah Sanders.
listen now