Donovan Mixon
Guitarist Donovan Mixon is a self-described citizen of the world. In 1988, then a Berklee College of Music professor, he was awarded an NEA grant for jazz composition. His artistic journey led to an 18-year residency in Europe, primarily in Italy and Turkey, where he performed at music festivals such as the Umbria and Istanbul jazz festivals and taught concepts from his unique method 'Performance Ear Training' at music schools and universities such as DAMS in Bologna Italia and Istanbul Bilgi University. Since 2010, Chicago has been his creative hub where he performs in clubs, concert halls and festivals with his World Jazz Quintet as well as with the GBME--Great Black Music Ensemble—of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) of which he is a recent inductee. Mixon curates monthly jazz performances with a series called "Donovan’s Garage" a unique performance laboratory located in N. Evanston. His latest recording, 'Finding Center' is set for prerelease in May 2025. It features all original compositions, fellow AACM members Fred Jackson Jr, Leon Q Allen and other instrumentalists such as Robert Irving III, Charles Heath, Emmanuel Ngolle, Cory Biggerstaff and the splendid voice of Sarah Marie Young.
