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Doug Lawrence (jazz musician)

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Doug Lawrence (born October 11, 1956) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist from Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Doug Lawrence
Doug Lawrence at the Isola (Italy) Jazz Festival 2013 Photo by Maurizio Rossi
Doug Lawrence at the Isola (Italy) Jazz Festival 2013 Photo by Maurizio Rossi
Background information
Born (1956-10-11) October 11, 1956 (age 68)
Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentTenor saxophone
Website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service1978–1986
UnitUSMA Band

Early life

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Lawrence, the youngest of six children, was born into a musical family in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[1] His father and two of his older three brothers were professional musicians who worked and recorded with Jack Teagarden, Elvis Presley, Ike and Tina Turner, Edgar Winter, The Righteous Brothers, Louis Bellson and others, and both of his sisters played musical instruments.[2] His mother was a dancer and played piano. Lawrence graduated high school from Highland High School (Albuquerque, New Mexico) and studied music at North Texas State University, the University of New Mexico and was a member of the Jazz Knights, a jazz ensemble of the West Point Band.[3][4]

Career

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Lawrence spent over 25 years in New York City, collaborating with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Roy Eldridge, Nancy Wilson (jazz singer), Joe Williams (jazz singer), Teri Thornton, Benny Goodman and others.[5] He has also recorded with many prominent jazz musicians such as Buck Clayton, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Wild Bill Davis, Hank Jones, Mel Lewis, Frank Wess, Grover Mitchell, Loren Schoenberg, Butch Miles and Jimmy Cobb as well as recording six albums as a leader - "Soul Carnival",[6] "High Heel Sneakers",[7] "Big Band Swing"[8] "Street Wise"[9] and "Doug Lawrence and Friends".[10] Lawrence served in the West Point Band's Jazz Knights in the early 1980s as the lead tenor saxophonist.

Lawrence has been a featured performer at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Village Vanguard, the Walt Disney Concert Hall and at international concert halls and jazz festivals including the Sydney Opera House, the Moscow International House of Music, the Blue Note Tokyo, Telluride Jazz Celebration and the North Sea Jazz Festival. Since 1996 Lawrence has been, and is currently, the featured tenor saxophone soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra. In 2020 Lawrence began working with the iconic organist Joey DeFrancesco in DeFrancesco's "Tenor Madness" band. After Mr DeFrancesco's untimely death on August 25, 2022, the band briefly continued on with Dan Trudell taking Mr DeFrancesco's place on organ. This band featured longtime Harry Connick Jr. tenor saxophonist Jerry Weldon and Lawrence in a quartet or quintet setting. [11] Lawrence also works regularly with pianist George Cables among others. [12] Lawrence leads his own Trio, Quartet, Quintet or Sextet as well as a latin jazz band called Doug Lawrence y Su Nuevo Mexicanos.[13] Lawrence frequently appears as guest clinician and artist-in-residence at universities and jazz camps around the world.[14]

Personal life

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Lawrence lives in New Mexico, USA.[15]

Discography

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George Cables, Doug Lawrence, John Webber, Leroy Williams

As leader

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  • Soul Carnival (Fable/Lightyear/WEA 1997)
  • High Heel Sneakers (Fable/Lightyear/WEA 1998)
  • Big Band Swing (Black Orchid 2001)
  • Street Wise (AllTribe 2002)
  • Doug Lawrence New Organ Trio (Cactus 2014)
  • Doug Lawrence and Friends (Junkie Jazz 2021)

As sideman

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  • Richard Allen, Gone with the Wind (JazzInn 1999)
  • Count Basie Orchestra, All About That Basie (Concord 2018)
  • Count Basie Orchestra, A Very Swinging Basie Christmas (Concord 2015)
  • Count Basie Orchestra, Ella 100: Live At The Apollo (Concord 2020)
  • Count Basie Orchestra, Late Night Basie (Primary Wave Music 2023)
  • Count Basie Orchestra, Live At Birdland (Candid 2021)
  • Count Basie Orchestra, Live in Japan (Sony 2006)
  • Count Basie Orchestra, Singing, Swinging, Playing (Mack Avenue 2009)
  • Count Basie Orchestra, The Count Basie Orchestra Swings The Blues (Candid 2023)
  • Hinton Battle, Meets the Count Basie Orchestra (Sony 2013)
  • Tony Bennett, A Swingin' Christmas (Columbia 2008)
  • Isrea Butler, Congo Lament (Vegas 2024)
  • Ray Charles, Ray Sings, Basie Swings (Concord 2007)
  • James Chirillo, The Doug Lawrence Trio (DoLaDi 1981)
  • Buck Clayton, A Swingin' Dream (Stash 1989)
  • Buck Clayton, Live at the Village Vangauard (Nagel Hayer 1991)
  • Buck Clayton, New York Ballads (Nagel Hayer 2020)
  • Buck Clayton, Swings The Village (Nagel Hayer 2002)
  • Rosemary Clooney, Live At Ravinia (PBS/WTTW 2001)
  • Tony Corbiscello, In Full Swing (Allanna 1999)
  • Jamie Cullum, The Pursuit (Verve 2009)
  • Wild Bill Davis Trio, Live At The West End (WKCR 1990)
  • Massamo Faraò, Body and Soul featuring Doug Lawrence (Azzua 2023)
  • Massamo Faraò, The Great Saxophone Jazz Lounge featuring Doug Lawrence and Jerry Weldon (Azzura 2023)
  • Nneenna Freelon, Blueprint of a Lady (Concord 2005)
  • Jeff Jeroloman and George Cables, Swing Thing (Candid 1993)
  • George V. Johnson, Live at the JazzInn (JazzInn 2001)
  • Martha Lorin, The Time Is Now (Carmel 1993)
  • Butch Miles, Straight On Till Morning (Nagel Hayer 2003)
  • Grover Mitchell, Truckin (Stash 1987)
  • Grover Mitchell, Hip Shakin (Ken 1990)
  • Grover Mitchell, Live In Paris (Radio France 1987)
  • New York Voices, Sing, Sing, Sing (Concord 2000)
  • Ken Peplowski, A Good Reed (Concord 1997)
  • Sammy Price, Two Tenor Boogie featuring Percy France and Doug Lawrence (WKCR 1990)
  • Loren Schoenberg, Just a Sittin' and a Rockin' (Musicmasters 1990)
  • Loren Schoenberg, Manhattan Work Song (Music Masters 1993)
  • Loren Schoenberg, Out of This World (Montreux 1998)
  • Loren Schoenberg, Time Waits for No One (Music Masters 1992)
  • Cynthia Scott, I Just Want to Know (Itocs 1998)
  • Bobby Short, You're the Top (Telarc 1999)
  • Clyde Stubblefield, B3 Bombers Live at the Green Mill (AllTribe 2002)
  • Jimmy Sturr, Jimmy Sturr Orchestra Polka Disco (RBS 1979)
  • Teri Thornton, Good Morning Heartache (Monte Carlo 1988)
  • John Trentacosta, Meets Doug Lawrence, Desert Bop (Cactus 2019)

References

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  1. ^ "Doug Lawrence gives back to youth - Albuquerque Journal". www.abqjournal.com. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  2. ^ Feather, L; Gitler, I "The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz", New York: Oxford University Press, 1999, p.403
  3. ^ Command, United States Army Recruiting (1978). U.S. Army Recruiting and Reenlisting Journal. U.S. Army Recruiting Command.
  4. ^ McGill, Nigel (2015-03-19). "Doug Lawrence Interview". McGill Music Sax School Online. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  5. ^ Yanow, Scott. "Doug Lawrence: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  6. ^ Frankling, Ken. "Doug Lawrence: Soul Carnival". JazzTimes. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  7. ^ Terrell, Tom. "Doug Lawrence". JazzTimes. |accessdate= 10 June 2013
  8. ^ Bowers, Jack (25 July 2006). "Doug Lawrence and His Orchestra: Big Band Swing". All About Jazz. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  9. ^ Bailey, C.Michael (13 February 2003). "Doug Lawrence; Street Wise". All About Jazz. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  10. ^ Bowers, Jack. "Doug Lawrence;Doug Lawrence and Friends". All About Jazz.
  11. ^ "Boss Tenors Jerry Weldon and Doug Lawrence". Musical Instrument Museum. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Dexter Gordon Legacy Quartet with Doug Lawrence, George Cables, Louis Hayes, John Webber". Outpost Performance Space. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  13. ^ Steinberg, David. "Match Made In Jazz Heaven". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  14. ^ Gambetta, Franchesco. "Festival internationale Isola Jazz". Genova Oggi Notizie. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  15. ^ Page-English, Mike. "Doug Lawrence: Local Jazz Hero". Local iQ. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
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