Wendell Harrison

Wendell Harrison (born 1942) is an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist born in Detroit, Michigan. Harrison began playing clarinet at age seven, and switched to tenor sax in high school. He studied under Barry Harris before moving to New York City in 1960. There he played with Jack McDuff, Elvin Jones, Sonny Stitt, Grant Green, Hank Crawford, and Sun Ra in the 1960s. In 1970 he moved back to Detroit and became a session musician, remaining a mainstay of the local scene for over thirty years.

Harrison began playing clarinet at age seven, and switched to tenor sax in high school. He studied under Barry Harris before moving to New York City in 1960. There he played with Jack McDuff, Elvin Jones, Sonny Stitt, Grant Green, Hank Crawford, and Sun Ra in the 1960s. In 1970 he moved back to Detroit and became a session musician, remaining a mainstay of the local scene for over thirty years. He started the labels Tribe, Rebirth, and WenHa, has worked as an educator, and played with Leon Thomas, Marcus Belgrave, Kirk Lightsey, Roy Brooks, Charles Tolliver, and James Carter's Clarinet Ensemble.