Dr. Teddy Harris, musical director for The Supremes and of Motown for over 16 years and founder of Detroit’s New Breed Bebop society, which launched the careers of many Detroit jazz greats.

A longtime figure of Detroit’s jazz scene, Theodore “Teddy” Harris Jr. found international acclaim as a pianist, soprano saxophonist, composer, and arranger. In his travels around the world, he has played command performances for the Emperor of Japan and Jordan’s King Hussein.

Affectionately known as the “Good Doctor,” Harris worked with a litany of jazz greats, recording artists, stage personalities, and famed Motown singers. Through his New Breed Bebop Society Orchestra, and as an artist in residence in the Highland Park school system, Harris spent the latter part of his distinguished career instructing and inspiring young musicians to find their own creative voices within Detroit’s great jazz tradition.

On August 27, 2015, a particularly beautiful summer night in downtown Detroit, The New Breed Be Bop Society Orchestra, founded by Dr. Teddy Harris, paid homage to the man and his music.

Detroit Performs is a production of Detroit Public Television and WRCJ 90.9 FM that celebrates the arts in Southeastern Michigan. The Carr Center is proud to be a community partner in those efforts.

We are grateful to Detroit Performs for their support for their support over the years, and we urge all of you to continue supporting the arts, anyway you can, during this very difficult time.

We thank you!