Barry Harris

Early life

Harris was born on December 15, 1929, in Detroit, Michigan, to Melvin Harris and Bessie as the fourth of their five children. Harris took piano lessons from his mother at the age of four. His mother, a church pianist, asked him if he was interested in playing church music or jazz, and he chose the latter. In his teens, he performed for dances at his high school, local clubs and ballrooms.

Harris's family home became a popular jam session destination for young jazz musicians including Roland Hanna, Sonny Red, Donald Byrd, and Harold McKenny. Many Motown pioneers, including Berry Gordy, were friends of Harris in his youth.

Career

1946–1960: Detroit

Harris, who described Bud Powell's style as the "epitome" of jazz, learned bebop largely by ear, starting with Powell's recording of "Webb City" with Sonny Stitt and Fats Navarro. Harris made one of his first recordings in Toledo, Ohio, in 1950, and made another in Detroit in 1952 with trombonist Frank Rosolino. Harris said in a later interview that he also recorded a musical for Willie "Face" Smith around this time, but the album was lost.

Harris remained in Detroit through the 1950s and worked with Miles Davis, Sonny Stitt, and Thad Jones, and substituted for Junior Mance in Gene Ammons' band. In 1956, he toured briefly with Max Roach, after Richie Powell, the band's pianist and younger brother of Bud Powell, died in a car crash. Harris left Detroit in 1960 to tour with the Cannonball Adderley quintet.

1960–1982: New York

Harris performed with Cannonball Adderley's quintet and on television with them.

Between 1965 and 1969, Harris worked extensively with Coleman Hawkins at the Village Vanguard and was one of the few musicians who continued to play bebop in Harlem during the shift toward jazz fusion in the late 1960s.

During the 1970s, Harris lived with Monk at the Weehawken, New Jersey, home of the jazz patron Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter. He substituted for Monk in rehearsals at the New York Jazz Repertory Company in 1974.

In Japan, Harris performed at the Yubin Chokin concert hall in Tokyo over two days, and his performances were recorded and compiled into an album released by Xanadu Records.

1982–2021: Jazz educator

Between 1982 and 1987, he was responsible for the Jazz Cultural Theatre on 8th Avenue in New York. As a co-manager with promoters Jim Harrison and Frank Fuentes, Harris brought jazz artists to the club, including Jaki Byard, Bill Hardman, Junior Cook, Vernel Fournier, Walter Bishop Jr., Michael Weiss, and Chris Anderson, before closing the club due to increased rent.

From the 1990s onwards, Harris collaborated with Howard Rees on videos and workbooks documenting his harmonic and improvisational systems and teaching process. He held music workshop sessions in New York City for vocalists, students of piano and other instruments.

Harris received an honorary doctorate from Northeastern University and a joint award with Oscar Peterson and Hank Jones from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Harris appeared in the 1989 documentary film Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (made by Clint Eastwood's production company), performing duets with Tommy Flanagan. In 1999, he was profiled in the film Barry Harris: Spirit of Bebop.

Although Harris took his weekly workshops onto Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic, he died from complications of the virus at a hospital in North Bergen, New Jersey, on December 8, 2021, a week before his 92nd birthday. Harris taught his last music class less than three weeks before his death.

Personal life

Harris married Christine Brown in 1953; they remained married until her death in 2017. He suffered a stroke in 1993, but was able to continue his career and play in public after recovering.

Awards and honors

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

Discography

As leader

Source:

As sideman

With Al Cohn

• Play It Now (Xanadu, 1975)
• Al Cohn's America (Xanadu, 1976)
• No Problem (Xanadu, 1979)

With Dexter Gordon

• Clubhouse (Blue Note, 1979) – rec. 1965
• Gettin' Around (Blue Note, 1965)
• The Tower of Power! (Prestige, 1969)
• More Power! (Prestige, 1969)
• True Blue with Al Cohn (Xanadu, 1976)
• Silver Blue with Al Cohn (Xanadu, 1976)
• Biting the Apple (SteepleChase, 1976)

With Johnny Griffin

• White Gardenia (Riverside, 1961)
• The Kerry Dancers (Riverside, 1962) – rec. 1961–62

With Coleman Hawkins

• Wrapped Tight (Impulse!, 1965)
• Sirius (Pablo, 1974) – rec. 1966

With Buck Hill

• Capital Hill (Muse, 1990)
• The Buck Stops Here (Muse, 1992)

With Sam Jones

• Cello Again (Xanadu, 1975)
• Changes & Things (Xanadu, 1977)

With Yusef Lateef

• Eastern Sounds (Moodsville, 1960)
• Into Something (New Jazz, 1961)
• Suite 16 (Atlantic, 1970)

With Charles McPherson

• Bebop Revisited! (Prestige, 1964)
• Con Alma! (Prestige, 1965)
• The Quintet/Live! (Prestige, 1966)
• McPherson's Mood (Prestige, 1969)
• Charles McPherson (Mainstream, 1971)
• Siku Ya Bibi (Day of the Lady) (Mainstream, 1972)
• Today's Man (Mainstream, 1973)
• Live in Tokyo (Xanadu, 1976)

With Hank Mobley

• Mobley's Message (Prestige 1956)
• Jazz Message No. 2 (Savoy, 1957)
• The Turnaround (Blue Note, 1965)

With Lee Morgan

• Take Twelve (Jazzland, 1962)
• The Sidewinder (Blue Note, 1963)

With Sonny Red

• Breezing (Jazzland, 1960)
• The Mode (Jazzland, 1961)
• Images (Jazzland, 1961)

With Red Rodney

• Bird Lives! (Muse, 1973)
• Home Free (Muse, 1979) – rec. 1977

With Sonny Stitt

• Burnin' (Argo, 1958)
• Tune-Up! (Cobblestone, 1972)
• Constellation (Cobblestone, 1972)
• 12! (Muse, 1972)
• My Buddy: Sonny Stitt Plays for Gene Ammons (Muse, 1975)
• Blues for Duke (Muse, 1978) – rec. 1975
• Moonlight in Vermont (Savoy, 1977)
• In Style (Muse, 1982) With others
• Cannonball Adderley, Them Dirty Blues (Riverside, 1960)
• Joshua Breakstone, Wonderful! (Sonora, 1984)
• Charlie Byrd, Blues Sonata (Riverside, 1961)
• Donald Byrd, Byrd Jazz (Transition, 1955) – also released as First Flight (Delmark)
• Sonny Criss, Saturday Morning (Xanadu, 1975)
• Art Farmer and Donald Byrd, 2 Trumpets (Prestige, 1956)
• Dan Faulk, Focusing In (Criss Cross Jazz, 1992)
• Terry Gibbs, Bopstacle Course (Xanadu, 1974)
• Benny Golson, The Other Side of Benny Golson (Riverside, 1958)
• Louis Hayes, Louis Hayes (Vee-Jay, 1960)
• Jimmy Heath, Picture of Heath (Xanadu, 1975)
• Illinois Jacquet, Bottoms Up (Prestige, 1968)
• Eddie Jefferson, Body and Soul (Prestige, 1968)
• Carmell Jones, Jay Hawk Talk (Prestige, 1965)
• Thad Jones, The Magnificent Thad Jones (Blue Note, 1956)
• Clifford Jordan, Repetition (Soul Note, 1984)
• Lee Konitz, Lullaby of Birdland (Candid, 1991 [1994])
• Harold Land, West Coast Blues! (Jazzland, 1960)
• Warne Marsh, Back Home (Criss Cross Jazz, 1986)
• Earl May, Swinging the Blues (Arbors, 2005)
• Billy Mitchell, The Colossus of Detroit (Xanadu, 1978)
• James Moody, Don't Look Away Now! (Prestige, 1969)
• Frank Morgan, You Must Believe in Spring (Antilles, 1992)
• Sal Nistico, Heavyweights (Jazzland, 1961)
• Dave Pike, It's Time for Dave Pike (Riverside, 1961)
• Jack Sheldon, Playing for Change (Uptown, 1997) – rec. 1986
• Don Wilkerson, The Texas Twister (Riverside, 1960)

References

References

1. Milkowski, Bill. (1998). "Barry Harris: Young-hearted elder".
2. Larkin, Colin. (1992). "[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music". [[Guinness Publishing]].
3. (2004). "Barry Harris: Spirit of Bebop". Efor Films.
4. Dwyer, Tom. (2006-03-16). "Barry Harris in New York".
5. Schermer, Victor L.. (2021-12-11). "Barry Harris: Iconic Jazz Pianist and Keeper of the Flame".
6. (2002). "The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz Second edition". Macmillan.
7. Schudel, Matt. (December 10, 2021). "Barry Harris, jazz pianist who kept the spirit of bebop alive, dies at 91". [[The Washington Post]].
8. Thomas, Greg. (July 16, 2012). "Bebop legend Barry Harris set to burn up Village Vanguard with 2-week gig". [[New York Daily News]].
9. Watrous, Peter (May 28, 1994). [https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/28/arts/be-bop-s-generous-romantic.html "Be-Bop's Generous Romantic"], ''[[The New York Times]]''. Retrieved 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."
10. (1988). "Jazz The Essential Companion". Prentice Hall Press.
11. Myers, Marc. (2017-04-28). "Jazz news: Jazz Cultural Theatre Lives!". JazzWax.
12. "Evolutionary Voicings, Part 1 – Howard Rees' Jazz Workshops".
13. "About Howard Rees – Howard Rees' Jazz Workshops".
14. "Barry Harris Residency April 7 through 10".
15. "Barry Harris Spirit of Bebop". Library of Congress.
16. Russonello, Giovanni. (2021-12-09). "Barry Harris, Pianist and Devoted Scholar of Bebop, Dies at 91". The New York Times.
17. Stryker, Mark. (2021-12-08). "Barry Harris, beloved jazz pianist devoted to bebop, dies at 91". NPR.
18. (2014). "Recognition Awards to Barry Harris for Outstanding Devotion to Music and Education".
19. (May 18, 2018). "Barry Harris facts, information, pictures".
20. "Barry Harris Discography".