08/08/2025
Over the years, Harrison has been a prolific recording artist, with standout projects like Indian Blues, Congo Square Suite, and 2024’s The Art of Passion.
His upcoming project, The Magic Touch, is a bold experiment: one song performed in nine different genres—including hip-hop, salsa, blues, soul, and second-line—culminating in a blended modern jazz finale that defines Nouveau Swing. It’s jazz as quantum physics, a theory he’s explored with physicist Dr. Stephon Alexander in their groundbreaking work on “quantum improvisation.”
Donald Harrison wears many crowns—literally. He’s Big Chief of Congo Square in the Afro-New Orleans tradition, and also a Chief in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In that cultural role, as in his music, he bridges ancestral heritage with modern expression.
And now, with the Quantum Leap Music Festival, he’s curating a live experience that feels more like a cultural awakening than a summer festival. Artists to highlight
The festival will include: The Quantum Leap All-Star Jam Band with Big Chief Donald Harrison, Will Bernard, Wil Blades, Raymond Weber, and others; The Headhunters; Preservation Hall Legacy; The Dirty Dozen; Cyril Neville; Zaccai Curtis; and Vasti Jackson.
Also performing Long Island native–she attended Five Towns College–Syndee Winters, who portrayed “Nala” in the Broadway production of “The Lion King.”
Whether he’s jamming with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band or sharing a stage with funk legend Leo Nocentelli of The Meters, Cyril Neville, Fred Wesley of James Brown’s JB’s horn section and others, Harrison ensures each note played is rooted in tradition but looking to the future.
