ABOUT DOUG

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Born in Louisiana and raised in New Mexico, Doug Lawrence spent over 25 years making a name for himself in New York City. Mr Lawrence has performed and recorded with a number of iconic artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, Nancy Wilson, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Williams, Celia Cruz, Benny Goodman, Stevie Wonder, Buck Clayton, Wild Bill Davis, Jimmy Cobb, Clyde Stubblefield, Donna Summer, Rodney Dangerfield, Joey DeFrancesco and many others. Mr Lawrence has appeared at virtually every major concert hall and performance venue around the world, and has performed for six U.S. Presidents, the Queen of England, the King of Thailand, the King and Queen of Sweden and numerous Heads of State. For the last 25+ years, Mr Lawrence has been the featured tenor saxophone soloist with the (eighteen-time) Grammy® winning Legendary Count Basie Orchestra.

Mr Lawrence continues to perform and record with many of todays leading artists, including: Billie Eilish, Ledisi, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Andra Day, Rita Payes, Jamie Cullium, Carmen Bradford, Dianne Schuur, Steve Jordon, George Cables, Peter Bernstein, Louis Hayes, Tadataka Unno, Frankie Vasquez and others. In 2023, Mr Lawrence was inducted into the New Mexico Music Hall Of Fame, and on February 4th, 2024, he won a Grammy® as a featured soloist, along with the rest of the Count Basie Orchestra, for Large Ensemble Jazz Album of the year, These recent accomplishments have added to the many accolades and awards Mr Lawrence has received throughout his prolific career. Mr Lawrence still keeps a busy schedule touring and recording with his own bands, as well as continuing his tenure with the venerable Count Basie Orchestra.

Photo by Anna Andersson

WHAT THE "EXPERTS" SAY

"There is nothing forced about Doug Lawrence's playing. He is, as they say, the real thing."

- Dan Morgenstern - NEA Jazz Master, Editor DOWNBEAT

"Think of Coleman Hawkins, Louis Armstrong, Ben Webster, Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra. They were able to touch our collective soul with their extraordinary sense of phrasing. Tenor man Doug Lawrence has got it. His phrasing is fluid, relaxed, conversational and charming, just like his easy going, seductive Southern drawl."

- Bill Milkowski - DOWNBEAT, JAZZTIMES

"Doug Lawrence is a natural, like Lester Young."

- Buck Clayton, Jazz Legend - NEW YORK TIMES

"After all these years, Count Basie's Orchestra continues to win Grammy® awards. The band is made up of elite musicians from all over the USA and none are more exciting to listen to than my main man, tenor saxophonist Doug Lawrence. He embodies what the band is about; swing and the blues!"

- Frank Wess, NEA Jazz Master, Iconic Basieite to Phil Schaap - WKCR Radio

"Modern Master of the tenor saxophone!"

- Paul Weideman - SANTA FE REPORTER

"The professional credentials Doug Lawrence has racked up are astonishing!"

- Howard Mandel - DOWNBEAT

"Tenor saxophonist Doug Lawrence proved invincible, his technique so fluid and his sound so huge as to dwarf everyone playing near him."

- Howard Reich - CHICAGO TRIBUNE

"A Commanding tenor saxophonist"

- John Wilson - NEW YORK TIMES

"A Rising Star!"

- Chip DeFaa - NEW YORK POST

"It was becoming clear that tenor saxophonist Doug Lawrence was the real star of the night - largely because of all the members in the Count Basie Orchestra he seemed most comfortable within the stylistic setting. This is not to detract from his magnificence as a musician - his sound and phrasing are muscular but elegant and his solos are never in a hurry but always exciting. No small feat to be outstanding in a band this good."

- Greg Lyons - MALAYSIAN TIMES