Barry Harris

Barry Harris
Harris in 2007
Background information
Birth name Barry Doyle Harris
Born (1929-12-15) December 15, 1929
Origin Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres Bebop, hard bop, mainstream jazz
Occupation(s) Musician, bandleader, composer, teacher
Instruments Piano
Labels Prestige, Riverside, Xanadu
Associated acts Cannonball Adderley, Dexter Gordon, Coleman Hawkins, Illinois Jacquet, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Max Roach, Yusef Lateef
Website barryharris.com

Barry Doyle Harris (born December 15, 1929) is an American jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger and educator. He is an exponent of the bebop style.[1]

Early life and career

Harris began learning the piano at the age of four. His mother was a church pianist and had asked if Harris was interested in playing church or jazz music. Having picked jazz, he was influenced by Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, and Bill Evans' music. Harris had a strong admiration for the style of Evans, claiming it to be the "epitome" of jazz. He went to public areas to play dances for clubs and ballrooms. Harris learned the bebop styles largely by ear, imitating the solos played by Bud Powell in his teenage years.[2]

Later life and career

1950s

Harris was based in Detroit through the 1950s and worked with musicians such as Miles Davis, Sonny Stitt and Thad Jones. He also performed in place of Junior Mance, who was Gene Ammons's regular pianist for his group frequently. In addition, Harris toured with Max Roach briefly in 1956 as a pianist after the group's resident pianist Richie Powell (younger brother of Bud Powell) died in a car crash.[3]

1960s

Harris performed with Cannonball Adderley's quintet and even had a chance to do a television stint with them.[3]

Harris relocated to New York City in 1960, where he became a performer as well as a jazz educator. During his time in New York, Harris collaborated with Dexter Gordon, Illinois Jacquet, Yusef Lateef and Hank Mobley through performances and recordings.[3]

Between 1965 and 1969, Harris performed extensively with Coleman Hawkins at the Village Vanguard.[4]

1970s

During the 1970s, Harris lived with Monk at the Weehawken, New Jersey home of the jazz patroness Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter, and so was in an excellent position to comment on the last years of his fellow pianist.[5]

Harris also sat in for Monk for rehearsals at the New York Jazz Repertory Company in 1974.[6]

By the mid-1970s, Harris and his band members gave concerts in European cities and Japan. In Japan, he performed at the Yubin Chokin concert hall in Tokyo over two days and his performance were recorded and compiled into an album released by Xanadu Records.[7]

1980s

Harris in 1981

Between 1982 and 1987, Harris took charge of the Jazz Cultural Workshop on the 8th Avenue in New York.[8]

Harris appears in the 1989 documentary film Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (produced by Clint Eastwood), performing duets with Tommy Flanagan.

1990s

Since the 1990s, Harris has collaborated with Toronto-based pianist and teacher Howard Rees in creating a series of videos and workbooks documenting his unique harmonic and improvisational systems and teaching process.[9][10]

2000–present

In 2000, he was profiled in the film Barry Harris - Spirit of Bebop.[2]

Harris continues to perform and teach worldwide. When he is not traveling, he holds weekly music workshop sessions in New York City for vocalists, students of piano and other instruments.[11]

Harris has recorded 19 albums as a lead artist.

Jazz Cultural Theater

Larry Ridley, Barry Harris, Jim Harrison, and Frank Fuentes were partners in creating the Jazz Cultural Theater beginning 1982.[12] Located at 368 Eighth Avenue in New York City in a storefront between 28th and 29th Streets in Manhattan, it was primarily a performance venue featuring prominent jazz artists and also hosted jam sessions. Additionally, it was known for Barry's music classes for vocalists and instrumentalists, each taught in separate sessions. Several artists recorded albums at the club, including Barry on his For the Moment. Some of the many musicians and notable jazz figures who appeared at the Jazz Cultural Theater were bassist Larry Ridley, guitarist Ted Dunbar, pianist Jack Wilson, trumpeter Bill Hardman, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, trumpeter Tommy Turrentine, alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, pianist Mickey Tucker, guitarist Peter Leitch, tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan, guitarist Mark Elf, alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson, drummer Leroy Williams, drummer Vernel Fournier, bassist Hal Dotson, bassist Jamil Nasser, pianist Chris Anderson, pianist Walter Davis, Jr., pianist Michael Weiss, tap dancers Lon Chaney and Jimmy Slyde, Francis Paudras (biographer of pianist Bud Powell), and the renowned jazz patroness Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter, who would park her silver Bentley sedan in front of the club.

The Jazz Cultural Theater (JCT) enjoyed a vibrant five-year run until August 14, 1987, when its lease ran out and the rent was increased. Barry simply moved his jazz instrumental and vocal instructional classes to other venues in New York City, Japan, and Europe, supported by a devoted and ever growing international base of students. Many of them are now professionals, including Israeli-born, New York City-based jazz guitarist Roni Ben-Hur, Armenian bebop pianist Vahagn Hayrapetyan, Italian-born brothers Luigi (alto sax) and Pasquale Grasso (guitar).

Theoretical concepts

Harris can be heard and seen teaching his theoretical approach in this YouTube video of a 2008 clinic he conducted in Spain.

Frans Elsen took videos during several years of Barry Harris workshops at the Royal Conservatory of Music at the Hague. He edited them into 54 videos which he felt represent the techniques Harris taught in the Hague.

Awards

  • 2000, American Jazz Hall of Fame for Lifetime Achievements & Contributions to the World of Jazz
  • 1998, Lifetime Achievements Award for Contributions to the Music World from the National Association of Negro Musicians
  • 1998, Congratulatory Letter as a Jazz Musician and Educator by the U.S. White House
  • 1997, Dizzy Gillespie Achievement Award
  • 1997, Recognition of Excellence in Jazz Music and Education
  • 1995, Doctor of Arts - Honorary Degree by Northwestern University
  • 1995, Special Presidential Award Recognition of Dedication and Commitment to the Pursuance of Artistic Excellence in Jazz Performance and Education
  • 1995, Honorary Jazz Award by the House of Representatives[13][14]
  • 1989, NEA Jazz Master

Compositions

  • "Seein' Red"[15]
  • "Lolita"[16]
  • "Morning Coffee"
  • "Luminescence"
  • "Like this!"
  • "Even Steven"
  • "Nicaragua"
  • "You Sweet and Fancy Lady"
  • "Rouge"
  • "Just Open Your Heart"
  • "Sun Dance"
  • "Fukai Aijo"
  • "Looking Glass"
  • "For the Moment"
  • "That Secret Place"
  • "Nascimento"
  • "Tommy's Ballad"
  • "Nobody's"
  • "Cats in My Belfry"
  • "The Bird of Red and Gold"
  • "Mutattra"
  • "Ascension"
  • "Anachronism"
  • "Teenie"
  • "Sphere"
  • "Around the Corner"
  • "Stay right with it"
  • "Bish, Bash, Bosh"
  • "Bull's Eye"
  • "Clockwise"
  • "Off Monk"
  • "Barengo"
  • "Oh so Basal"
  • "Vicissitudes"
  • "Now and then"
  • "Sweet Sewanee Blues"
  • "Renaissance"
  • "And so I Love You"
  • "With a Grain of Salt"
  • "A Soft Spot"

Discography

As leader

As sideman

With Cannonball Adderley

With Charlie Byrd

With Donald Byrd

  • Byrd Jazz (Transition, 1955) - also released as First Flight (Delmark)

With Al Cohn

With Sonny Criss

With Art Farmer and Donald Byrd

With Dan Faulk

  • Focusing In (Criss Cross Jazz, 1992)

With Terry Gibbs

With Benny Golson

With Dexter Gordon

With Johnny Griffin

With Coleman Hawkins

With Louis Hayes

With Jimmy Heath

With Illinois Jacquet

With Carmell Jones

With Thad Jones

With Sam Jones

With Clifford Jordan

With Lee Konitz

With Harold Land

With Yusef Lateef

With Warne Marsh

With Earl May

  • Swinging the Blues (Arbors, 2005)

With Charles McPherson

With Billy Mitchell

With Hank Mobley

With James Moody

With Lee Morgan

With Sal Nistico

With Dave Pike

With Sonny Red

With Red Rodney

With Sonny Stitt

With Don Wilkerson

References

  1. ↑ Milkowski, Bill (1998). "Barry Harris: Young-hearted elder". Jazz Times.
  2. 1 2 Barry Harris: Spirit of Bebop. Efor Films. 2004.
  3. 1 2 3 Barry Kernfeld, ed. (2002). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz Second edition. London, England: Macmillan Publishers Limited. p. 177. ISBN 033369189X.
  4. ↑ Greg Thomas (16 July 2012). "Bebop legend Barry Harris set to burn up Village Vanguard with 2-week gig". New York Daily News. New York. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  5. ↑ Watrous, Peter. "Be-Bop's Generous Romantic", The New York Times, May 28, 1994. Accessed June 2, 2008. "Mr. Harris moved to New York in the early 1960s and became friends with Thelonious Monk and Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter, Mr. Monk's patron. Eventually, Mr. Harris moved to her estate in Weehawken, N.J., where he still lives."
  6. ↑ Carr, Ian; Fairweather, Digby; Priestley, Brian (1988). Jazz The Essential Companion. New York: Prentice Hall Press. ISBN 0-13-509274-4.
  7. ↑ Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2012). All Music Guide to Jazz: The Definitive Guide to Jazz music. USA: Hal Leonard Publishing. ISBN 0-87930-717-X. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  8. ↑ Greg Thomas (July 16, 2012). "Bebop legend Barry Harris set to burn up Village Vanguard with 2-week gig". New York Daily News. New York. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Evolutionary Voicings, Part 1 – Howard Rees' Jazz Workshops". jazzworkshops.com. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  10. ↑ "About Howard Rees – Howard Rees' Jazz Workshops". jazzworkshops.com. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  11. ↑ "Barry Harris Residency April 7 through 10". www.brown.edu. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  12. ↑ "Larry Ridley - Biography". www.larryridley.com. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  13. ↑ "Recognition Awards to Barry Harris for Outstanding Devotion to Music and Education". www.barryharris.com. 2014.
  14. ↑ "Barry Harris facts, information, pictures". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  15. ↑ "The Complete Regent Sessions - Pepper Adams". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  16. ↑ "Barry Harris at the Jazz Workshop - Barry Harris". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  17. ↑ "Barry Harris Discography". www.jazzdisco.org. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
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