Barry Harris

• Name — Barry Harris • Landscape — yes • Birth Name — Barry Doyle Harris • Born — 15 December 1929 • Birthplace — Detroit, Michigan, U.S. • Died — 8 December 2021 • Place of death — North Bergen, New Jersey, U.S. • Genre — Jazz • Occupation — Musician, bandleader, composer, teacher • Instrument — Piano • Years Active — 1950s–2021 • Label — Prestige, Riverside, Xanadu • Past Member Of — Cannonball Adderley, Dexter Gordon, Coleman Hawkins, Illinois Jacquet, Yusef Lateef, Thelonious Monk, Lee Morgan, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Max Roach, Ryo Fukui • Website — barryharris.com • Illustration — Harris at the Detroit International Jazz Festival

• Illustration — Harris in 1981 • Illustration — Harris at the Jazz Cultural Theater, New York City, July 21, 1984 Harris was born on December 15, 1929, in Detroit, Michigan, to Melvin and Bessie Harris 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.

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.

Harris performed with Cannonball Adderley's quintet and on television with them. After moving to New York City, he worked as an educator and performed with Dexter Gordon, Illinois Jacquet, Yusef Lateef and Hank Mobley. Harris was a sideman on Lee Morgan's famous album The Sidewinder and returned to recording as leader following his move to New York. 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.

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.

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.

• Recording date — Title — Label — Year released — Personnel/Notes • 1958–07 — Breakin' It Up — Argo — 1959 — Trio, with William Austin (bass), Frank Gant (drums) • 1960–05 — Barry Harris at the Jazz Workshop — Riverside — 1960 — Trio, with Sam Jones (bass), Louis Hayes (drums); in concert • 1960–12 — Listen to Barry Harris — Riverside — 1961 — Solo piano • 1960–12, 1961-01 — Preminado — Riverside — 1961 — One track solo piano; other tracks trio, with Joe Benjamin (bass), Elvin Jones (drums) • 1961–09 — Newer Than New — Riverside — 1961 — Quintet, with Lonnie Hillyer (trumpet), Charles McPherson (alto sax), Ernie Farrow (bass), Clifford Jarvis (drums) • 1962–05, 1962-08 — Chasin' the Bird — Riverside — 1962 — Trio, with Bob Cranshaw, (bass), Clifford Jarvis (drums) • 1967–04 — Luminescence! — Prestige — 1967 — Sextet, with Slide Hampton (trombone), Junior Cook (tenor sax), Pepper Adams (baritone sax), Bob Cranshaw (bass), Lenny McBrowne (drums) • 1968–06 — Bull's Eye! — Prestige — 1968 — Some tracks trio, with Paul Chambers (bass), Billy Higgins (drums); some tracks quintet, with Kenny Dorham (trumpet), Charles McPherson (tenor sax), Pepper Adams (baritone sax) added • 1969–11 — Magnificent! — Prestige — 1970 — Trio, with Ron Carter (bass), Leroy Williams (drums) • 1972 — Vicissitudes — MPS — 1975 — Trio, with George Duvivier (bass), Leroy Williams (drums) • 1975–06 — Barry Harris Plays Tadd Dameron — Xanadu — 1975 — Trio, with Gene Taylor (bass), Leroy Williams (drums) • 1976–04 — Live in Tokyo — Xanadu — 1976 — Trio, with Sam Jones (bass), Leroy Williams (drums); in concert • 1978–01 — Barry Harris Plays Barry Harris — Xanadu — 1978 — Trio, with George Duvivier (bass), Leroy Williams (drums) • 1979–09 — The Bird of Red and Gold — Xanadu — 1982 — Solo piano; Harris also sings on one track • 1984–03 — For the Moment — Uptown — 1985 — Trio, with Rufus Reid (bass), Leroy Williams (drums); in concert • 1990–03 — Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume Twelve — Concord — 1991 — Solo piano; in concert • 1991 — Post Master Class Concert — Blue Jack Jazz Records — 2005 — Trio, with Jacques Schols (bass), Eric Ineke (drums); in concert • 1991–09 — Confirmation — Candid — 1992 — Quartet, with Kenny Barron (piano), Ray Drummond (bass), Ben Riley (drums); in concert • 1991–12 — Barry Harris in Spain — Nuba — 1992 — Trio, with Chuck Israels (bass), Leroy Williams (drums); in concert • 1995–05 — Live at "Dug" — Enja — 1997 — Trio, with Kunimitsu Inaba (bass), Fumio Watanabe (drums); in concert • 1996–10 — First Time Ever — Alfa Jazz — 1997 — Trio, with George Mraz (bass), Leroy Williams (drums) • 1998–04 — I'm Old Fashioned — Alfa Jazz — 1998 — Most tracks trio, with George Mraz (bass), Leroy Williams (drums); two tracks with Barry Harris Family Chorus (vocals) added • 2000–06 — The Last Time I Saw Paris — Venus — 2000 — Trio, with George Mraz (bass), Leroy Williams (drums) • 2002–08 — Live in New York — Reservoir — 2003 — Quintet, with Charles Davis (tenor sax), Roni Ben-Hur (guitar), Paul West (bass), Leroy Williams (drums); in concert • 2004–05 — Live from New York!, Vol. One — Lineage — 2006 — Trio, with John Webber (bass), Leroy Williams (drums); in concert • 2009–11 — Live in Rennes — Plus Loin — 2010 — Trio, with Mathias Allamane (bass), Philippe Soirat (drums); in concert Source:

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)