Donald Harrison - The Ballads (2009)

"Mr. Harrison turned out to be one of the most musicologically literate jazz players to come out in ages." ~ New York Times. 

"Donald Harrison Jr. … the most interesting, most accessible, and most talented musician in the country right now." ~ East Bay Express. 

"… one of the more innovative bandleaders New Orleans has produced in the past 20 years." ~ Chicago Tribune. 

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Nagel Heyer Records, CD 9010, 2009
Recorded 2001 - 2008 in New York City and New Orleans 

Musicians:
Donald Harrison - Alto Saxophone
Christian Scott - Trumpet (#1,2,5,6,7)
Mulgrew Miller - Piano (#5,6,7)
Eric Reed - Piano (#1,2)
Victor Gould - Piano (#8,9)
Jesse McBride - Piano (#10)
Ron Carter - Bass (#3,4)
Vicente Archer - Bass (#1,2)
Luques Curtis - Bass (#5,6,7)
Max Moran - Bass (#8,9,10)
John Lamkin - Drums (#1,2,5,6,7)
Billy Cobham - Drums (#3,4)
Joseph Dyson - Drums (#8,9,10) 

Tracks:
01. Strange Day {Eric Reed} (7:46)
02. Swept From The Sea {John Lamkin} (5:31)
03. My Funny Valentine {Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart} (8:12)
04. Candlelight {Ron Carter} (6:33)
05. Summertime {George Gershwin} (9:28)
06. Cool Breeze {Donald Harrison} (5:20)
07. Sincerely Yours {Donald Harrison} (9:26)
08. They Can't Take That Away From Me {George & Ira Gershwin} (5:46)
09. If I Were A Bell {Frank Loesser} (6:32)
10. To Nola With Love {Donald Harrison} (9:49) 

Total Time: 74:23 

Notes:
#1,2 - Real Life Stories (2002) Nagel Heyer [2022]
#3,4 - Heroes (2004) Nagel Heyer [2041]
#5,6,7 - Survivor (2006) Nagel Heyer [2068]
#8,9,10 - The Chosen (2008) Nagel Heyer [2084]

Donald Harrison, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham - Heroes (2004)

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. Harrison worked with bassist Ron Carter, drummer Billy Cobham, and pianist James Williams in a 2002 quartet called the Art of Four. He reunites with Carter and Cobham for five selections on Heroes and also engages in three duets with the bassist. Whether it is a minor blues ("One of a Kind"), the "I Got Rhythm" chords of "Double Trouble," "Solar," or the melancholy "Candlelight," Harrison shows that he is a superior post-bop improviser with a sound of his own. The final three selections, listed as "bonus tracks," have Harrison performing a funk piece, a calypso, and a mistitled Thelonious Monk tune ("Well, You Needn't" is listed as "Straight, No Chaser") in spirited fashion with bassist Vicente Archer and drummer John Lamkin. This CD is one of Donald Harrison's most rewarding showcases to date and is highly recommended. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG. 

Nagel Heyer Records, nagel heyer 2041, 2004
Recorded 1st & 2nd December, 2002 at Avatar Studios, New York 

Musicians:
Donald Harrison - Alto Saxophone
Ron Carter - Bass
Billy Cobham - Drums
Vicente Archer - Bass (#9-11)
John Lamkin - Drums (#9-11) 

Tracks:
01. Heroes {Donald Harrison} (6:14)
02. Blues For The New Millennium {Donald Harrison} (4:12)
03. My Funny Valentine {Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart} (8:12)
04. One Of A Kind {Donald Harrison} (5:53)
05. Double Trouble {Donald Harrison, Ron Carter} (8:01)
06. Receipt Please {Ron Carter} (5:59)
07. Candlelight {Ron Carter} (6:33)
08. Solar {Miles Davis} (3:57)
09. Free Style {Donald Harrison} (4:43) *
10. Iko Iko {James Crawford} (3:11) *
11. Well, You Needn't {Thelonious Monk} (8:06) * 

Total Time: 65:06 

 * Bonus Tracks 

Credits:
Producer, Photos - Frank Nagel-Heyer
Recording Engineer - Jim Anderson
Assistant Engineer - Aya Takemura
Mastering, Mixing - Florian Sommer
Cover - Woellergestaltung, Hamburg
Liner Notes - Ted Panken 

Heroes

George Masso Sextet - C'est Magnifique! w. Lou Colombo & Harry Allen (1999)

Got a Call on the 'Bone Phone'. George Masso may be the Harry Allen of the trombone, only older. Born in 1927, Masso made his living teaching school and playing trombone on the side. In 1973, he managed to become a full-time musician recording for the Arbors, Sackville, Famous Door, and Nagel-Heyer labels. Masso has had three critically acclaimed discs on Nagel-Heyer, C'est Magnifique! being the most recent (he has previously released the Wonderful World of George Gershwin (NH CD 001) and Trombone Artistry (NH CD014). He, like Allen, performs exclusively traditional jazz and does so almost without flaw. There are no originals here, only standards. Standards played to perfection. This is a live recording was made in early 1999 in Hamburg (home of the Nagel-Heyers). It is a collection of Cole Porter tunes. No "Love for Sale" here. These are lesser-performed tunes, making this disc that much more interesting. Harry Allen, Again! I have just finished reviewing Harry Allen's the King and was pleased to find him here. Allen may be the most perfect tenor player exhaling through his instrument. He (and Masso) is not a groundbreaker. He is a performer with a technique so prodigious it can make one's mouth go dry. On this recording, Allen's tenor almost mimics the sound of the clarinet so clean is Allen's attack. Likewise for Mr. Masso. George Masso is a well-known commodity on the trad jazz circuit, but may be less well known universally. He has a beautiful, respectful, and well-informed tone. What a treasure! Anything Goes. This collection of Cole Porter tunes is bookended by two splendid examples of traditional jazz playing. "It's D'Lovely" and the title cut are definitely played in "the old style". I am not going to go so far and describe this performance as "Dixieland". I would call it post 1930s small combo Chicago jazz at the dawn of the Swing era. No matter, it is super music. Both Masso and Allen, along with pianist Johnny Varro, turn in stellar performances on all cuts but uniquely shine on the ballads. Nagel-Heyer should be commended on their allegiance to traditional (mainstream jazz). Nagel-Heyer is a great repository for this fine music and fine musicians such as George Masso. ~ by C. Michael Bailey, AAJ. 

Nagel Heyer Records, CD 060, 2000
Recorded 6th March, 1999 Live at the Hanse-Merkur Auditorium, Hamburg, Germany 

Musicians:
George Masso - Trombone, Leader
Lou Colombo - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Harry Allen - Tenor Saxophone
Johnny Varro - Piano
Phil Flanigan - Bass
Jake Hanna - Drums 

Tracks:
1. It's D'Lovely (9:44)
2. It's Allright With Me (10:49)
3. Why Shouldn't I (4:51)
4. What Is This Thing Called Love (7:08)
5. I Love You, Samantha (5:51)
6. Get Out Of Town (9:41)
7. C'est Magnifique (8:41) 

All Compositions by Cole Porter 

Total Time: 56:49 

Credits:
Producer - Sabine & Hans Nagel-Heyer
Recording & Mixing Engineer - Ben Ahrens
Digital Mastering - Sonopress, Gutersloh
Cover Photo - Dieter Frahnert
Cover - woellergestaltung, Hamburg

Donald Harrison, Mulgrew Miller, Christian Scott - The Survivor (2006)

Cultural critic Greil Marcus wrote a scathing essay at the end of the 1970s about the rampant overuse of the word "survivor" in modern life. Over 25 years on, musicians of a certain age arguably have more of a right to use the S-word, especially a saxophonist like Donald Harrison, who has stayed true to his own soul-jazz path since his early days as a sideman despite the fact that his brand of funk-influenced hard bop has rarely been the least bit fashionable, even among many jazz listeners. The Survivor is a timeless album, most of which sounds like it could have come from any point in Harrison's career. Yet it's no mere nostalgia kick, because underneath Harrison's sterling alto work, the rhythm section sounds fairly attuned to contemporary trends. "The Hook Up" in particular has a skittering, hip-hop-influenced vibe to John Lamkin's drums; the closing track takes it all the way, being a mash-up of Harrison playing the Duke Ellington standard "Caravan" over a turntablist and a sample of James Brown's iconic "Funky Drummer" beat, perhaps the most-used sample in hip-hop history. The reason this track works in the context of more standard Harrison fare as the gentle original ballad "Sincerely Yours," rather than sounding like a stab at cultural relevance from an aging player, is that funk in all its forms has been at the root of not only Harrison's own music, but of this particular jazz path since the days of Miles Davis' "Walkin'" back in the early '50s. "Survivor" may still be overstating the case a bit, but The Survivor shows that far from being an esoteric form for aesthetic snobs and old folks, Harrison's music has grown along a parallel path to more familiar styles, and moves easily back and forth between them. ~ by Stewart Mason, AMG. 

Nagel Heyer Records, 2068, 2006
Recorded 22nd November, 2004 At The Studio, New York 

Musicians:
Donald Harrison - Alto Saxophone
Christian Scott - Trumpet
Mulgrew Miller - Piano
Zaccai Curtis - Piano
Luques Curtis - Bass
John Lamkin - Drums 

Tracks:
1. The Survivor {Donald Harrison} (8:49)
2. Twerk It {Donald Harrison} (8:43)
3. Summertime {George Gershwin} (9:28)
4. Cool Breeze {Donald Harrison} (5:20)
5. The Hook Up {Donald Harrison} (9:08)
6. Oriental Folk Song {Wayne Shorter} (7:54)
7. Nouveau Swing {Donald Harrison} (7:41)
8. Sincerely Yours {Donald Harrison} (9:27)
9. Caravan [Who Is The Funky Drummer] {Juan Tizol} (5:19) 

Total Time: 71:49 

Credits:
Producer, Photo - Frank Nagel-Heyer
Engineer - Jon Rosenberg
Assistant Engineer - Eiji Takasugi
Mixing - Florian Sommer
Mastering - Ben Ahrens
Cover - Woellergestaltung, Hamburg

Donald Harrison - The Chosen (2008)

At this point in his career-25 years after his breakthrough New York Second Line album with partner Terence Blanchard and following invaluable apprenticeships with Art Blakey and Eddie Palmieri-alto saxophonist Harrison has become a seasoned veteran and respected bandleader-talent scout (his young nephew and discovery, trumpeter Christian Scott, has already struck out on a promising career of his own). On The Chosen, his fifth outing for Nagel Heyer, Harrison is in the company of a new crew of gifted youngbloods in pianist Victor Gould, bassist Max Moran and the sensational drummer Joseph Dyson Jr. Together they cover a wide swath of stylistic territory, from the all-out burn of Trane's "Mr. P.C.," featuring an intense sax-drums breakdown between Harrison and Dyson, to a relaxed, loosely swinging rendition of "If I Were a Bell" full of tricky bits of metric modulation, to the infectiously melodic title track and the rousing second-line groover "I’m the Big Chief of Congo Square," in which the alto saxophonist (an authentic Mardi Gras Indian Chief) resurrects his rich New Orleans heritage, harkening back to his great 1991 recording Indian Blues. Strangely, Harrison chooses to sit one out, opting to showcase his talented rhythm section on a piano-trio rendition of Juan Tizol's "Caravan." He returns for a soulful take on the George and Ira Gershwin nugget "They Can’t Take That Away From Me," blowing that familiar melody with the simplicity and charm of a vocalist before breaking away for some lofty, Bird-inspired flights. He plays with a relaxed soulfulness on his evocative ballad "To Nola With Love," eventually stretching out on some gospel-tinged bits of testifying through the course of this 10-minute paean to the Crescent City. His other originals include the urgent, R&B-flavored "The Right Touch," underscored by Fender Rhodes electric piano and Dyson's slick hip-hop-flavored beat, and the dreamy "Urban Serengeti." And he joins in on snare and ride cymbal along with a crew of four New Orleans parade drummers on the ultra-funky "Drum Line." A potent package from start to finish with no filler in between. ~ by Bill Milkowski, JazzTimes.com.

Nagel Heyer Records, NHCD 2084, 2008
Recorded 10^th, 11^th & 12^th January, 2008 At Word Of Mouth, New Orleans

Musicians:
Donald Harrison - Alto Saxophone, Fender Rhodes (#9), Percussion (#9)
Victor Gould - Piano
Max Moran - Bass
Joseph Dyson - Drums 

Plus:
Jesse McBride - Piano (#6)
Conun Pappas - Fender Rhodes (#7)
The Old School Drum Line from New Orleans (#9)
- Barry "Bamm Bamm" Harrison - Snare Drum
- Orlandez "Big Ike" Pierre - Tenor Drum
- James "Jim Brown" Henderson - Tenor Drum
- Jonathan "Dick-A-Lou" Williams - Bass Drum 

Tracks:
01. Mr. P.C. {John Coltrane} (6:58)
02. The Chosen {Donald Harrison} (5:33)
03. If I Were A Bell {Frank Loesser} (6:30)
04. Caravan {Juan Tizol, Duke Ellington} (5:16)
05. They Can't Take That Away From Me {George & Ira Gershwin} (5:44)
06. To Nola With Love {Donald Harrison} (9:48)
07. The Right Touch {Donald Harrison} (4:16)
08. Urban Serengeti {Donald Harrison} (6:34)
09. Drum Line {Harrison, Harrison, Pierre, Henderson, Williams} (6:02)
10. I'm The Big Chief Of Congo Square {Donald Harrison} (8:47) 

Total Time: 65:28

Credits:
Producer - Frank Nagel-Heyer
Mastering - Ben Ahrens
Photos [Cover+Page 2] - Kiel Scott
Booklet & Photo [Back] - Tomas Ovalle
Cover Design - Woellergestaltung, Hamburg