Home » Jazz Musicians » Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah

Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah

Christian Scott, also known as Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah (born March 31, 1983, in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a two-time Edison Award winning and Grammy Award nominated trumpeter, composer and producer. He is the nephew of jazz innovator and legendary sax man, Donald Harrison, Jr. His musical tutelage began under the direction of his uncle at the age of thirteen. After graduating from the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) in 2001, Christian received a full tuition scholarship to Berklee College of Music where he earned a degree in professional music and film scoring thirty months later.

Since 2002, Christian has released eleven critically acclaimed studio recordings, two live albums and one greatest hits collection. According to NPR, "Christian Scott ushers in new era of jazz". He has been heralded by JazzTimes Magazine as "Jazz's young style God." Christian is known for developing the harmonic convention known as the “forecasting cell” and for his use of an un-voiced tone in his playing, emphasizing breath over vibration at the mouthpiece. The technique is known as his “whisper technique.”

Christian is the progenitor of “Stretch Music,” a jazz rooted, genre blind musical form that attempts to “stretch” jazz’s rhythmic, melodic and harmonic conventions to encompass as many other musical forms, languages and cultures as possible. Jazz is a progressive musical movement and Christian is at the forefront of its continued viability as an art form. Christian’s 2015 release, Stretch Music, marked the partnership between Christian’s Stretch Music record label and Ropeadope Records. Critics and fans alike have praised the recording. Stretch Music is also the first recording to have an accompanying app, for which Christian won the prestigious JazzFM Innovator of the year Award in 2016. The Stretch Music App is an interactive music player that allows musicians the ability to completely control their practicing, listening and learning experience by customizing the player to fit their specific needs and goals.

In 2017, Christian released three albums, collectively titled The Centennial Trilogy, that debuted at number one on iTunes. The albums’ launch commemorated the 100th anniversary of the first Jazz recordings of 1917. The series is, at its core, a sobering re-evaluation of the social political realities of the world through sound. It speaks to a litany of issues that continue to plague the collective human experience, such as slavery in America via the Prison Industrial Complex, food insecurity, xenophobia, immigration, climate change, sexual orientation and gender inequality, fascism and the return of the demagogue.

The first release in the trilogy, Ruler Rebel, vividly depicts Adjuah's new vision and sound - revealing Adjuah to the listener in a way never heard before via a completely new production methodology that stretches trap music with West African and New Orleanian Black Indian masking tradition musical styles. Ruler Rebel’s release coincided with the first annual Stretch Music Festival at Harlem Stage in New York. The Stretch Music Festival, created and curated by Christian, explores the boundaries of Stretch, Jazz, Trap, and Alternative Rock with some of music’s most poised and fiery rising stars. The sold-out performances were met with praise from both music critics and fans. The second release, Diaspora, was showcased during Adjuah’s sold-out Carnegie Hall performance in 2017. The third release, Emancipation Procrastination, launched in September 2017 during NPR’s global Jazz Night in America broadcast from New Orleans.

Christian scored his identical twin brother’s and Director’s Guild of America 2015 Student Award recipient, writer-director and Spike Lee protégé, Kiel Adrian Scott’s, recent Student Academy Award nominated film, Samaria. Christian also scored Kiel’s award-winning film, The Roe Effect. He will also score Kiel’s feature length directorial debut, slated for production late 2018.

In addition to scoring documentaries for Hennessy Cognac and others, in 2017, Christian has scored commercials for Tag Heuer watch makers and The Gap clothing company, as well as music for ESPN’s Sports Center. Christian has also recently completed a music project, in which he served as leader, in conjunction with 1800 Tequila and Billboard Magazine called The Refined Player’s Series.

Since 2006, Christian has worked with a number of notable artists, including Prince, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, McCoy Tyner, Marcus Miller, Eddie Palmieri, rappers Mos Def (Yasin Bey), Talib Kweli, and Vic Mensa, as well as heralded poet and musician Saul Williams.

Additionally, through his partnership with Adam’s Instruments, Christian designed a signature line of horns, the Siren Trumpet, Sirenette and Reverse Flugelhorn that are revolutionizing brass instrument design all over the world. Domestic production of Christian’s proprietary reverse flugelhorn will begin in 2018.

Christian is a scion of New Orleans’ first family of art and culture, the Harrisons, and the grandson of legendary Big Chief, Donald Harrison Sr., who lead four nations in the City’s masking tradition. The HBO series, Treme, borrowed the name “Guardians of the Flame” from African-American cultural group Scott began “masking” as a member of with his grandfather in 1989. Christian recently became the Chief of The Brave, in February 2017, one his grandfather’s early banners. In 2018, Tulane University’s acclaimed Amistad Research Center announced its archive of the Donald Harrison, Sr. legacy papers to highlight the Harrison/Scott/Nelson family’s contributions to the arts, activism, and African diaspora cultural expressions. The Harrison family’s story has been documented by Oscar winning director, the late Jonathan Demme, in his post-Hurricane Katrina works.

Christian is dedicated to a number of causes that positively impact communities. He gives his time and talents in service to several organizations which garnered him a place in Ebony Magazine’s 30 Young Leaders Under 30. He has provided his services to Each One, Save One, NO/AIDS Task Force, Girls First, The Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame, Good Work Network and numerous other community service organizations. Holding master classes, creating and participating in discussion panels, and purchasing and giving away instruments, are all part of Christian’s community based work. He has worked with Guardians Institute in New Orleans’ 9th Ward, which is dedicated to reading and fiscal literacy, cultural retention and a firm commitment to the participation of community elders and artists in uplifting and supporting youths in underserved areas of New Orleans. Christian currently sits on the Boards of Guardians Institute and The NOCCA Institute. Since Christian’s emergence on the jazz music scene, he has been a passionate and vocal proponent of human rights and an unflinching critic of injustices throughout the world. Show less

Chief Adjuah at Yoshi's

by Roy Strassman
July 15, 2022

Chief Adjuah Yoshi's jny:Oakland, CA June 23, 2002 Chief Adjuah 's six-seat magic carpet landed for its two-day sojourn at Yoshi's on Thursday night, and what an enchanting performance it was. At first, only five band members took the stage, and the Chief, aka Christian Scott, commenced the stretch-spasm-music spiritual feast with a solo on a customized gold-plated ngoni-type 12-string instrument of his own design. Its sound ranged over the heavens of kora, kalimba, and ...

Live Review

Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah at Yoshi's

by Roy Strassman
October 19, 2021

Christian Scott aTunde AdjuahYoshi's Oakland, CA October 7, 2021 The Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah flying saucer landed on Thursday night at Yoshi's in Oakland, and what an eclectic crew emerged! Though they were anything but alien, every musician was a monster--trumpet, flute, piano, bass, and three different drummers forming the percussion section. Adjuah, a New Orleanian, is a prepossessing, highly articulate young man and consummate raconteur. His is steeped in a philosophy of ...

Radio & Podcasts

Trumpet Master Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah - Looking Forward

by Russell Perry
June 15, 2021

Since he began recording at nineteen, now thirty-eight year old Christian Scott ATunde Adjuah has been developing one of the most distinguishable trumpet sounds in jazz. A nephew of alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, Jr., he is graduate of the storied New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and then Berklee College of Music giving him one of the most distinguished set of credentials in the music. Through incorporating elements of hip hop, rock, ambient, funk, and Afrorock he has been celebrated ...

Album Review

R+R=NOW: R+R=NOW - Live (Blue Note Club New York/2018)

Read "R+R=NOW - Live (Blue Note Club New York/2018)" reviewed by Emmanuel Di Tommaso

by Emmanuel Di Tommaso
June 14, 2021

"When you reflect what's going on in your time and respond to that, you can't not be relevant. So 'R' plus 'R' equals 'NOW.'" Con queste parole Robert Glasper spiegava nel 2017 la nascita del sestetto dei R+R=Now, riprendendo una risposta che Nina Simone dava a quanti la criticavano per le sue prese di posizione politiche e sociali ("an artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times"). Non è in effetti una coincidenza che ...

Album Review

Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah: Axiom

Read "Axiom" reviewed by Phillip Woolever

by Phillip Woolever
December 21, 2020

As evidenced here, those in attendance for Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah's 2020 engagement at New York's Blue Note from March 11-15 witnessed what turned out to be some of the most powerful performances of this restricted musical year, just before everyday life changed for most people on the planet. The record is dedicated to the victims of Corona-19. This exceptional concert compilation could well be the first of “jazz's" present day, classic live albums released during the pandemic ...

Radio & Podcasts

Fire Music: When Jazz Speaks Out - Part 4

by Ludovico Granvassu
June 23, 2020

As our series dedicated to the amazing music that has come out of the struggle for the advancement of African-Americans, we span from tunes inspired by the march on Selma, or dedicated to the many victims of racially motivated brutality. Listen to deep set featuring old masters like Grant Green, Blue Mitchell, current giants like Dr. Lonnie Smith, Jason Moran and Wynton Marsalis and stars of the future like Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Logan Richardson, Kris Bowers and Keyon Harrold. ...

Live Review

A to JazZ Festival 2019

by Ian Patterson
July 26, 2019

A to JazZ Festival 2019 South Park II Sofia, Bulgaria July 5-7, 2019 Jazz on a summer's day. There's nothing quite like it. To see Sofia's South Park II packed with somewhere between fifteen and twenty thousand people for three days of jazz, where a veritable sea of good vibes held sway, was an uplifting sight. That people came in such numbers was chiefly due to the fact that A to JazZ ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah

Source: Michael Ricci
March 31, 2023

All About Jazz is celebrating Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah's birthday today!

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah

Source: Michael Ricci
March 31, 2022

All About Jazz is celebrating Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah's birthday today!

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah

Source: Michael Ricci
March 31, 2021

All About Jazz is celebrating Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah's birthday today!

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah

Source: Michael Ricci
March 31, 2020

All About Jazz is celebrating Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah's birthday today!

Music Industry

Bandcamp Adds No-Risk Vinyl Pressing via Pirate Press

Source: HypeBot
April 19, 2019

Bandcamp is expanding its commitment to vinyl with a new offering that eliminates upfront costs for artists and labels. Vinyl on the popular independent music destination has grown 600% in the last 5 years, with 3,500 unique vinyl albums added to the site each month. The new service eliminates all risk, with fan orders financing the pressing, and eliminates hassle with Bandcamp and its partner Pirate Press handling the printing, pressing and shipping to fans. The artist and label retains ...
read more

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Christian Scott

Source: Michael Ricci
March 31, 2019

All About Jazz is celebrating Christian Scott's birthday today!

Place our Musician of the Day widget on your ...
read more

Recording

Richard Howell "Coming Of Age - Mangaku" Introducing Elé Salif Howell with Special Guest Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations
May 15, 2018

"I have the deepest respect for his musical abilities. He walks in the same path as the great ones: Joe Henderson, Don Myrick to be mentioned in the same light. I have a great belief in his talents. He will continue to make contributions in the time to come."—Maurice White-founder of Earth Wind & Fire. Coming Of Age Mangaku Introducing Elé Salif Howell with special guest Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah featuring: Frederick Harris, Charles McNeal, Ravi Abcarian, Danny Armstrong, and ...
read more

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Christian Scott

Source: Michael Ricci
March 31, 2018

All About Jazz is celebrating Christian Scott's birthday today!

Christian Scott, also known as Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah (born March 31, 1983, in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a two-time Edison Award winning (2010 and 2012) and Grammy Award nominated trumpeter, composer, producer and music executive. Christian’s Grammy nominated international recording debut, Rewind That was called “arguably the most remarkable premiere the genre has seen in the last decade” by Billboard Magazine... Read more.

Place our Musician of the Day widget ...
read more

Book / Magazine

New Book Assembles International Collection Of The Avant-Garde

Source: All About Jazz
January 16, 2018

BADD PRESS announces the launch of The Moderns, a book dedicated to the world’s great avant-garde artists. Featuring more than 100 reviews, profiles and interviews and authored by music journalist Kevin Press, the book introduces readers to established and emerging music leaders from around the world. “This is a golden era for the avant-garde,” says Press. “But it’s a difficult thing to navigate. As music has become increasingly easy to access, the best–truly innovative–work has become more difficult than ever ...
read more