Patience Higgins

Patience Higgins is a New York-based jazz saxophonist, flutist, and multi-reed musician. He also plays clarinet, oboe, and English horn. He has performed with Duke Ellington Orchestra, Barry Harris, Archie Shepp, Jimmy Scott, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Paquito D’Rivera, Cleo Laine, and The Sugar Hill Jazz Quartet. Higgins has a history as a Broadway musician. He is a music educator and teaches at the New York Jazz Workshop Music School. Higgins has toured with the Duke Ellington and Count Basie Orchestras.

In 1998 he was featured artist playing saxophone and flute for double Grammy Award-winning recording Dee Dee Bridgewater's Dear Ella.

Higgins along with the Sugar Hill Quartet were the house band for the Lenox Lounge, and regular Monday night sessions at St. Nick's Pub in Harlem. His 1998 album 'Live in Harlem' documents Monday night sessions at St. Nick's Pub.

Career Higgins has also performed with the Duke Ellington Band under the direction of Mercer Ellington, and Paul Ellington. He has been a member of the Duke Ellington Band for over twenty years. He has toured and recorded with Frank Foster, Rodney Kendrick, Yoko Ono, Cleo Laine and The Sugar Hill Jazz Quartet, Vanessa Rubin, Dee Dee Bridgewater, The Pointer Sisters, Don Byron, Hamiett Bluiett, The Boys Choir of Harlem, Nicolas Payton, David Murray, Aretha Franklin, Savion Glover, Ray Charles, Lionel Hampton, Sam Rivers, Charles Tolliver, Sam and Dave, Bobby Watson & Tailor Made, Archie Shepp, Wilson Pickett, Barry Harris, Muhal Richard Abrams, Stevie Wonder, Paquito D’Rivera, James Zollar, Bobby Short, Chip White, Wilson Pickett, Joey DeFrancesco, Kiane Zawadi, Eli Fountain, Leopaldo Fleming.

Discography

Album appearances

Movie Soundtracks The Cotton Club School Daze Awakenings Soul to Soul Baby Boy

Theater Credits AVE Q, DREAMGIRLS THE WIZ AIN’T MISBHEVIN’ BUBBLING BROWN SUGAR BLACK & BLUE RUNAWAYS HAIR SOPHISTICATED LADIES JELLY’S LAST JAM 5 GUYS NAMED MOE CHICAGO

Jazz Festivals NORTH SEA PORI MONTREAUX JVC NANCY WILLASAU VIENNE BERLIN PLAY BOY MONTEREY NEWPORT GLASKOW COPENHAGEN MONTREAL JAZZ HERITAGE in New Orleans. CHARLIE PARKER JAZZ FESTIVAL (in New York City)