Donald Walden

Blessed in St. Louis, MO, in July of 1938, Donald Walden resided in Clarksville, TN, before shifting to Detroit, MI, along with his mom in 1946. He began playing the saxophone in his middle teenagers, taking classes on the Larry Teal College of Music as well as the Detroit Community Music College. He examined improvisation with Barry Harris and Yusef Lateef, and acquired as classmates Roy Brooks, Charles McPherson, and Lonnie Hillyer. Because the mass exodus of Detroiters going to NEW YORK, Walden also used residence in ny by 1960. There he found gigs with Offer Green, Joe Chambers, Booker Ervin, and Sunlight Ra. Back Detroit by 1966, he was presented with possibilities to accompany the best names in the neighborhood soul picture, including getting with Aretha Franklin’s music group for five years. Walden also toured with Stevie Question, the Temptations, as well as the Four Tops. Getting a place in the neighborhood public school program as a instructor, Walden discovered his contacting while also producing his way among the greatest jazz tenor saxophonists to hail in the Motor Town. When crisis fell over the Detroit picture within the ‘80s, Walden founded the brand new World Stage within the Harmonie Recreation area district. It had been a family-friendly, alcohol-free, all-ages functionality space that regularly showcased the cream of the crop of regional, nationwide touring, and previous Detroit jazz players returning house for a spell. Generally a staunch proponent of bebop, Walden created a tribute to Charlie Parker on the 1990 Detroit International Jazz Celebration with an 18-piece big music group, huge string section, and 30-tone of voice choir carried out by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson. Visitor soloists because of this “Yardbird Collection” included Dizzy Gillespie, Charles McPherson, Barry Harris, and Walden. This influenced the saxophonist to create the Detroit Jazz Orchestra, playing repertoire from a multitude of bop sources. Soon thereafter, Walden became even more involved with academia, teaching at Michigan Condition College or university, Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio, as well as the College or university of Michigan, where he became a tenured teacher. He was a coach to famous brands right now prominent jazz performers Rodney Whitaker, Geri Allen, Robert Hurst, and Regina Carter. He released three 3rd party self-produced CDs: A Family portrait of You, A Monk & a Mingus IN OUR MIDST, and Concentrate: The Music of Tadd Dameron. The saxophonist received the renowned Michigan Governor’s Arts Award in 1985 for the efforts of his Detroit Jazz Orchestra, and in 1996 he was called a Jazz Get better at by Arts Midwest. His last music group was the ensemble Totally free Radicals, offering Cassius Richmond and Marion Hayden. Donald Walden passed away Sunday, Apr 6, 2008, in the home in Detroit at age group 69 of longstanding problems with cancer.