Doug Lawrence (jazz musician)
American saxophonist (born 1956)

Doug Lawrence
Lawrence in 2006
Lawrence in 2006
Background information
Born (1956-10-11) October 11, 1956 (age 69)
Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentTenor saxophone
Years active1979–present
Labels
  • Cactus
Websitedouglawrencejazz.com
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
Service years1978–1986
UnitUSMA Band
Musical artist

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

Early life

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 had worked and recorded with Jack Teagarden, Elvis Presley, Ike & Tina Turner, Edgar Winter, The Righteous Brothers, Louie Bellson, and others, and both of his sisters played musical instruments.[2] His mother was a dancer and played piano. Lawrence graduated from Highland High School in Albuquerque and studied music at North Texas State University and the University of New Mexico and was a member of the Jazz Knights, a jazz ensemble of the West Point Band.[3][4]

Career

Lawrence spent over 25 years in New York City, collaborating with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Roy Eldridge, Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams, Teri Thornton, and Benny Goodman, among 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] Doug Lawrence New Organ Trio, 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 the international concert halls and jazz festivals including the Sydney Opera House, the Moscow International House of Music, the Blue Note Tokyo, the Nice Jazz Festival, 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 in organist Joey DeFrancesco's band, Tenor Madness. After DeFrancesco's death in 2022, the band briefly continued on with Dan Trudell taking 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.[12] Lawrence leads his own 3–6 piece combo 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] In November 2023, Lawrence was inducted into the New Mexico Music Hall of Fame,[15] and on February 4, 2024, the Count Basie Orchestra won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album,[16] an album that features Lawrence on numerous tenor saxophone solos.

Personal life

Lawrence lives in New Mexico, U.S.[17][dead link] He has one daughter.

Discography

As leader

  • 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

With Buck Clayton

  • A Swingin' Dream (Stash, 1989)
  • Live at the Village Vanguard (Nagel-Heyer, 1991)
  • Swings The Village (Nagel-Heyer, 2002)
  • New York Ballads (Nagel-Heyer, 2020)

With the Count Basie Orchestra

  • Live in Japan (Sony, 2006)
  • Singing, Swinging, Playing (Mack Avenue, 2009)
  • A Very Swinging Basie Christmas (Concord, 2015)
  • All About That Basie (Concord, 2018)
  • Ella 100: Live At The Apollo (Concord, 2020)
  • Live At Birdland (Candid, 2021)
  • Late Night Basie (Primary Wave Music, 2023)
  • The Count Basie Orchestra Swings The Blues (Candid, 2023)

With Grover Mitchell

  • Truckin' (Stash, 1987)
  • Live in Paris (Radio France, 1987)
  • Hip Shakin' (Ken, 1990)

With Loren Shoenberg

  • Time Waits for No One (MusicMasters, 1992)
  • Manhattan Work Song (MusicMasters, 1993)
  • Out of This World (Montreux, 1998)

With others

  • Jimmy Sturr, Jimmy Sturr Orchestra Polka Disco (RBS, 1979)
  • James Chirillo, The Doug Lawrence Trio (DoLaDi, 1981)
  • Teri Thornton, Good Morning Heartache (Monte Carlo, 1988)
  • Wild Bill Davis Trio, Live At The West End (WKCR, 1990)
  • Sammy Price, Two Tenor Boogie featuring Percy France and Doug Lawrence (WKCR, 1990)
  • Jeff Jeroloman and George Cables, Swing Thing (Candid, 1993)
  • Martha Lorin, The Time Is Now (Carmel, 1993)
  • Ken Peplowski, A Good Reed (Concord, 1997)
  • Cynthia Scott, I Just Want to Know (Itocs, 1998)
  • Tony Corbiscello, In Full Swing (Allanna, 1999)
  • Richard Allen, Gone with the Wind (JazzInn, 1999)
  • Bobby Short, You're the Top (Telarc, 1999)
  • New York Voices, Sing, Sing, Sing (Concord, 2000)
  • Rosemary Clooney, Live At Ravinia (PBS/WTTW, 2001)
  • George V. Johnson, Live at the JazzInn (JazzInn, 2001)
  • Clyde Stubblefield, B3 Bombers Live at the Green Mill (AllTribe, 2002)
  • Butch Miles, Straight On Till Morning (Nagel-Heyer, 2003)
  • Nnenna Freelon, Blueprint of a Lady (Concord, 2005)
  • Ray Charles, Ray Sings, Basie Swings (Concord, 2007)
  • Tony Bennett, A Swingin' Christmas (Columbia, 2008)
  • Jamie Cullum, The Pursuit (Verve, 2009)
  • Hinton Battle, Meets the Count Basie Orchestra (Sony, 2013)
  • John Trentacosta, Meets Doug Lawrence, Desert Bop (Cactus, 2019)
  • Massamo Faraò, Body and Soul featuring Doug Lawrence (Azzura, 2023)
  • Massamo Faraò, The Great Saxophone Jazz Lounge featuring Doug Lawrence and Jerry Weldon (Azzura, 2023)
  • Isrea Butler, Congo Lament (Vegas, 2024)
  • Dave Glasser, Two For The Road (Cactus, 2024)
  • Debra Silver, Swinging Through The Holidays (Green Hill, 2024)
  • Debra Silver, Basie Rocks (Green Hill, 2025)

References

  1. ^ "Doug Lawrence gives back to youth - Albuquerque Journal". www.abqjournal.com. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  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 (March 19, 2015). "Doug Lawrence Interview". McGill Music Sax School Online. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  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 (July 25, 2006). "Doug Lawrence and His Orchestra: Big Band Swing". All About Jazz. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  9. ^ Bailey, C.Michael (February 13, 2003). "Doug Lawrence; Street Wise". All About Jazz. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  10. ^ Bowers, Jack (December 11, 2021). "Doug Lawrence;Doug Lawrence and Friends". All About Jazz.
  11. ^ "Boss Tenors Jerry Weldon and Doug Lawrence". Musical Instrument Museum. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  12. ^ "Dexter Gordon Legacy Quartet with Doug Lawrence, George Cables, Louis Hayes, John Webber". Outpost Performance Space. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  13. ^ Steinberg, David. "Match Made In Jazz Heaven". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  14. ^ Gambetta, Franchesco. "Festival internationale Isola Jazz". Genova Oggi Notizie. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  15. ^ "We welcome Doug Lawrence to the New Mexico Hall of Fame". YouTube. November 26, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  16. ^ "2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List | GRAMMY.com". Grammy Awards. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  17. ^ Page-English, Mike. "Doug Lawrence: Local Jazz Hero". Local iQ. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  • Doug Lawrence official website
  • Count Basie Orchestra website
  • Doug Lawrence Interview, NAMM Oral History Library (2022)
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