Rahsaan Barber
Recipient Information
Location
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Medium
Music (Jazz)
Year of Award
2027
Grant or Fellowship
Southern Artist Spotlight Grant
Grant Amount
$0
North Carolina-based saxophonist Rahsaan Barber has blazed a singular trail of multi-genre excellence in performance, composition and music education. Barber has worked onstage and in studio as a featured soloist alongside an astounding list of celebrated artists including Rufus Reid, Branford Marsalis, Lauren Daigle, Idina Menzel, Brian Blade, Kelly Clarkson, Gladys Knight, Taj Mahal, Greg Allman, and Dr. John. The saxophonist has performed on such prestigious stages as Carnegie Hall, The Village Vanguard, The Ryman, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Since August of 2020, Barber has also worked as Professor of Saxophone and Jazz Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Rahsaan Barber burst onto the national scene in 2011 with the release of Everyday Magic, his debut recording as a leader, released on his own label, Jazz Music City. Since the label’s launch, Barber has released celebrated albums by pianist Bruce Dudley, trumpeter Imer Santiago and most recently drummer John Alvey. Barber’s most recent recordings (as a bandleader) are Six Words (2024), a suite written for jazz sextet (featuring trumpeter Pharez Whitted and Barber’s twin brother, trombonist Roland Barber), and Mosaic (2021), a double-album of original works. Barber’s original compositions and recordings have been critically acclaimed often, hailed by critic Howard Mandel in DownBeat Magazine as “bearing witness to social inequities and avowing hope for a more just, humane world.
Artist Fee: Primary ensemble - new quintet featuring Jeff "Tain" Watts and Nat Reeves 10K-12K (Alternate personnel/instrumentation 6K-8K)
Availability: Widely available and currently booking his new quintet, featuring acclaimed jazz artists drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts and bassist Nat Reeves. The project aims to support engagements that reflect the ensemble's caliber. He is unavailable October 20–November 10, 2026.
Contact
Email Rahsaan Barber
www.rjbsax.com
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