Christian Scott (born March 31, 1983), known professionally as Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah), is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

er, multi instrumentalist, composer, and producer. He has been nominated for six

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

, is a two-time

Edison Award The Edison Award is an annual Dutch music prize awarded for outstanding achievements in the music industry. It is comparable to the American Grammy Award. The Edison award itself is a bronze replica of a statuette of Thomas Edison, designed b ...

winner, the recipient of the JazzFM Innovator/Innovation of the year Award in 2016, Jazz Journalist Trumpeter of the Year, The Herb Alpert Award in the arts, and The Changing Worlds Peace Maker Award. Adjuah is the grandson of Big Chief Donald Harrison Sr. and Grand Griot of New Orleans and Guardians Institute founder Herreast Harrison, the nephew of jazz saxophonist Donald Harrison Jr., and is a chieftain of the Xodokan Nation of the maroon tribes of New Orleans.

Early life

Christian Scott was born on March 31, 1983, in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, to Cara Harrison and Clinton Scott III. He has a twin brother, writer-director Kiel Adrian Scott. Beginning at the age of 12, he was tutored by his uncle, jazz alto

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pro ...

Donald Harrison Jr. By 14, he was accepted into the

New Orleans Center for Creative Arts New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, or NOCCA, is the regional, pre-professional arts training center for high school students in Louisiana. NOCCA opened in 1973 as a professional arts training center for secondary school-age children. Locate ...

(NOCCA), where he studied jazz under the guidance of program directors Clyde Kerr, Jr. and Kent Jordan. At 16, Scott was introduced by Harrison Jr. to the recording world via "Paradise Found" and "Kind of New" after joining his uncle's quintet. Upon graduating from NOCCA, Adjuah received a scholarship to attend

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

in Boston, Massachusetts, where he graduated in 2004 completing his studies in under 30 months. In 2002, while attending Berklee he started Impromp2 records and released his first recording "Christian Scott". Between 2003 and 2004, while attending Berklee, he was a member of the Berklee Monterey Quartet, recorded as part of the Pat Metheny and Gary Burton-led Art:21 student cooperative quintet, and studied under the direction of Charlie Lewis, Dave Santoro, and

Gary Burton Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused him to be h ...

. He majored in professional music with a concentration in film scoring. Adjuah was signed to

Concord Music Concord Music Group was an American independent music company based in Beverly Hills, California, with worldwide (including the U.S.) distribution through Universal Music Group. The company specialized in recordings (Fearless Records, Concord R ...

in 2005.

Career

Adjuah's major label debut album '' Rewind That'' (2006) was released with Concord Records. It received a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. Adjuah was placed in Ebony Magazine's 30 Young Leaders Under 30 in 2007. In 2005 Adjuah was featured on singer

Nnenna Freelon Nnenna Freelon (born July 28, 1954) is an American jazz singer, composer, producer, and arranger. Early life and education Freelon was born Chinyere Nnenna Pierce to Charles and Frances Pierce in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she was raised ...

's Grammy nominated "Blueprint of a Lady". In 2012 his first double record was released. Since 2002, Adjuah has released 13 studio albums and three live recordings. In 2016, Scott appeared on the public television series '' Articulate''. 2010 saw the release of Yesterday You Said Tomorrow and the naissance of Adjuah's "Stretch Music" concept. NPR raved "Christian Scott Ushers In New Era Of Jazz". Scott received the first Edison Award in 2010 for Yesterday You Said Tomorrow and his second in 2012. Adjuah released "Live at Newport Stretch Music" a 50 year later nod to trumpet great Miles Davis. The album was also released as a DVD, his first. In 2017, Adjuah released three albums, collectively titled ''The Centennial Trilogy''. 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. The three releases include Ruler Rebel, Diaspora, and The Emancipation Procrastination. The third installment of ''The Centennial Trilogy'', The Emancipation Procrastination, was nominated for a 2018 Grammy® Award in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.

Discography

As leader

* 2002?: ''

Christian Scott Christian Scott (born March 31, 1983), known professionally as Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah), is an American jazz trumpeter, multi instrumentalist, composer, and producer. He has been nominated for six Gramm ...

'' (Impromp2, 2003) * 2005: '' Rewind That'' (Concord Jazz, 2006) * 2007: ''

Anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short s ...

'' (Concord Jazz, 2007) * 2001–04: '' Two of a Kind'' with

Donald Harrison Donald Harrison Jr. (born June 23, 1960) is an African-American jazz saxophonist and the Big Chief of The Congo Square Nation Afro-New Orleans Cultural Group from New Orleans, Louisiana. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Berklee Col ...

(Nagel Heyer, 2008) * 2008: '' Live at Newport'' (Concord Jazz, 2008) – live * 2009: ''

Yesterday You Said Tomorrow ''Yesterday You Said Tomorrow'' is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter Christian Scott. Concord Music Group released the album on February 1, 2010 in the UK and on March 30, 2010 in the US. Background As Scott says in the album's liner no ...

'' (Concord Jazz, 2010) * 2010: '' Ninety Miles Project'' (Concord Jazz, 2011) * 2010: '' Ninety Miles Live at Cubadisco'' (Concord Jazz, 2012) – live * 2011: ''

Christian aTunde Adjuah ''Christian aTunde Adjuah'' is a two-disc studio album by American jazz trumpeter Christian Scott released on 31 July 2012 by Concord Records. Background Scott's 2010 album ''Yesterday You Said Tomorrow'' was a successful manifestation of the mu ...

'' (Concord Jazz, 2012) * 2014: ''

Stretch Music ''Stretch Music (Introducing Elena Pinderhughes)'' is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter Christian Scott released on September 18, 2015 by Ropeadope Records. This is his fifth full-length studio album as a leader. Background Scott explain ...

'' (Ropeadope Records, 2015) * 2016: ''

Diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...

'' (Ropeadope/Stretch, 2017) * 2016: '' Ruler Rebel'' (Ropeadope/Stretch, 2017) * 2016: '' The Emancipation Procrastination'' (Ropeadope/Stretch, 2017) * 2018: '' Ancestral Recall'' (Ropeadope/Stretch, 2019) * 2020: ''

Axiom An axiom, postulate, or assumption is a statement that is taken to be true, to serve as a premise or starting point for further reasoning and arguments. The word comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning 'that which is thought worthy or ...

'' (Ropeadope, 2020) – live

As sideman

With

* ''Real Life Stories'' (Nagel Heyer, 2002) – recorded in 2001 * ''Kind of New'' (Candid, 2002) * ''Paradise Found'' (Fomp, 2003) With others *

Philip Bailey Philip James Bailey (born May 8, 1951) is an American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter and percussionist, best known as an early member and one of the two lead singers (along with group founder Maurice White) of the band Earth, ...

, '' Love Will Find a Way'' (Verve, 2019) * David Benoit, '' Jazz for Peanuts'' (Peak, 2008) *

DJ Logic DJ Logic (born 1972 as Jason Kibler) is an American turntablist active primarily in nu-jazz/ acid jazz and with jam bands. Kibler was born and raised in The Bronx, NY. Because of an early interest in hip hop, Kibler started using the turnta ...

Jason Miles Jason Miles (born June 30, 1951) is an American jazz keyboardist, composer, and record producer. Throughout his career, he has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, bassist Marcus Miller, and singer Luther Vandross, as well as maintaining a successfu ...

, ''Global Noize'' (Shanachie, 2008) *

Stefon Harris Stefon DeLeon Harris (born March 23, 1973) is an American jazz vibraphonist. Biography A native of Albany, New York, Harris intended to work for the New York Philharmonic until he heard the music of Charlie Parker. During the 1990s he recorded ...

, '' Ninety Miles Live at Cubadisco'' (Concord Picante, 2011) *

Boney James Boney James (born James Oppenheim September 1, 1961) is an American saxophonist (tenor, alto and soprano), songwriter, record producer and recording artist. He is a four-time Grammy Award nominee (Best Pop Instrumental Album, 2001, 2004, 2014 a ...

, '' Shine'' (Concord, 2006) * Jose James, ''No Beginning No End 2'' (Rainbow Blonde, 2020) *

Ledisi Ledisi Anibade Young (; born March 28, 1972), better known simply as Ledisi, is an American R&B and jazz recording artist, songwriter, music producer, author and actress. Her name means "to bring forth" or "to come here" in Yoruba. Ledisi AllMus ...

, '' It's Christmas'' (Verve Forecast, 2008) *

Harvey Mason Harvey William Mason (born February 22, 1947) is an American jazz drummer, record producer, and member of the band Fourplay. Mason, who attended Berklee in the 1960s, received an Honorary Doctorate at Berklee's 2015 Commencement Ceremony ...

, ''Chameleon'' (Concord, 2014) *

Marcus Miller William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work as a bassist. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandros ...

, ''Tutu Revisited'' (Dreyfus, 2011) *

Melissa Morgan Melissa Morgan (born 1980) is an American jazz singer. Music career Morgan was born in New York City, and grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, where she attended Teaneck High School. She began studying piano at age four. During high school she b ...

, ''Until I Met You'' (Telarc, 2009) * Akua Naru, ''The Miner's Canary'' (Urban Era, 2015) * Sergio Pamies, ''Borrachito'' (Bebyne, 2011) *

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

, ''

Planet Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surface ...

'' (NPG/Columbia, 2007) *

Soulive Soulive is a funk/jazz trio that originated in Woodstock, New York, and is known for its solos and catchy, upbeat songs. The band consists of Eric Krasno (guitar), Alan Evans (drums) and Neal Evans (Hammond B3 organ, bass keys, clavinet). Althoug ...

, ''Live at the Blue Note Tokyo'' (P-Vine, 2010) * Ben Williams, ''Coming of Age'' (Concord Jazz, 2015)

References

External links

* *
Performance for NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Christian 1983 births Living people Jazz musicians from New Orleans American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Berklee College of Music alumni Concord Records artists 21st-century trumpeters 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Ropeadope Records artists Nagel-Heyer Records artists