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Barry Harris
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For the Canadian musician, see Barry Harris
(Canadian musician).

Barry Harris

Harris in 2007

Background information

Birth name Barry Doyle Harris

Born December 15, 1929 (age 87)

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 Detroit, Michigan, December 15,

1929) is an American jazz pianist, bandleader, composer,
arranger and educator. He is an exponent of
the bebop style.[1]

Contents
[hide]

1Early life and career

2Later life and career
o 2.11950s
o 2.21960s
o 2.31970s
o 2.41980s
o 2.51990s
o 2.62000present
3Jazz Cultural Theater
4Theoretical concepts
5Awards
6Compositions
7Discography
o 7.1As leader[18]
o 7.2As sideman
8References
9External links

Early life and career[edit]

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 and Bud
Powell's music. 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[edit]
1950s[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
Since the 1990's, 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]
2000present[edit]
In 2000, he was profiled in the film Barry Harris - Spirit of
Bebop.[11]
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.[12]
Harris has recorded 19 albums as a lead artist.

Jazz Cultural Theater[edit]

This section of a biography of a living person does
not include any references or sources. Please help by
adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living
people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed
immediately.
Find sources: "Barry
Harris" news newspapers books scholar JSTOR (June
2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Larry Ridley, Barry Harris, Jim Harrison, and Frank

Fuentes were partners in creating the Jazz Cultural
Theater beginning 1982.[13] 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[edit]
This section of a biography of a living person does
not include any references or sources. Please help by
adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living
people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed
immediately.
Find sources: "Barry
Harris" news newspapers books scholar JSTOR (June
2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Over many years Harris has developed a codified

methodology and approach to the teaching of jazz. His
approach, drawing primarily from the melodic and
harmonic concepts/techniques utilized by Charlie Parker
and Bud Powell, relies upon using the major and minor 6th
chords and the octatonic scales (such as Bebop Major,
Bebop Dorian, and Bebop Mixolydian, OR major 6th
diminished, minor 6th diminished, and dominant seven,
respectively) as a basis for creating melody and harmony.
The Bebop Major scale, for example, is a major scale with
an extra note between the 5th and 6th scale degrees. A
typical exercise using this scale involves playing a C Major
6th chord up the scale to a D diminished 7th chord, back to
C Major 6th in first inversion, to D diminished 7th first
inversion, to C Major 6th in second inversion, and so on,
up the scale. Applying voicings, such as Drop 2 and Drop
3, up and down the scale in this way gives more
possibilities for movement, as opposed to playing one
static voicing when chording or "comping" through jazz
tunes. The same concept applies as well to the minor 6th
diminished scale. His concept of "borrowing notes," in
which a related diminished note (or notes) is used in a
major or minor 6th chord voicing and then resolved (or a
major or minor 6th chord note is used in the related
diminished 7th chord and then resolved) is an additional
way of creating movement.
Harris also stresses the relationship of the major 6th chord
to the minor 7th chord. Both share the same four notes
and differ only by what note is considered the bass. The
same relationship occurs between the minor 6th chord and
the half-diminished 7th chord, that is, that C minor6 and A
minor7b5 are almost interchangeable.
His approach to jazz harmony also relies heavily on
diminished 7th chords and their relationship to dominant
7th chords. Utilizing the diminished 7th chord, he has also
formulated scales of chords, which allow pianists and
guitar players greater freedom in accompaniment and to
play, in his own words, "movement, not chords".
His fundamental scale is the major 6th diminished scale,
but equally important are the minor sixth to diminished, the
dominant seventh to diminished, and the dominant seven
flat five to diminished scale. Extending this concept, Barry
relates all chord alterations (flat and sharp 9s, sharp 11s,
flat 13s, etc.) to the tritone's minor sixth-diminished scale
(Ab minor 6th diminished scale for G7altered), which
provides options for moving the alterations through the
scales.

Awards[edit]
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[14][15]

Compositions[edit]
"Seein' Red"[16]
"Lolita"[17]
"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"

Discography[edit]
As leader[18][edit]
 Breakin' It Up (Argo 1958)
Barry Harris at the Jazz Workshop (Riverside 1960)
Preminado (Riverside 1961)
Listen to Barry Harris (Riverside 1961)
Newer Than New (Riverside 1961)
Chasin' the Bird (Riverside 1962)
Luminescence! (Prestige, 1967)
Bull's Eye! (Prestige, 1968)
Magnificent! (Prestige, 1969)
Vicissitudes (MPS, 1972)
Barry Harris Plays Tadd Dameron (Xanadu, 1975)
Live in Tokyo (Xanadu, 1976)
Barry Harris Plays Barry Harris (Xanadu, 1978)
For the Moment (Uptown, 1984)
The Bird of Red and Gold (Xanadu, 1989)
Live at Maybeck Recital Hall Volume
Twelve (Concord, 1991)
Confirmation (Candid, 1991) with Kenny Barron
Barry Harris in Spain (Nuba, 1991)
First Time Ever (Evidence 1997)
Live in New York (Reservoir Records, 2002)
Live in Rennes (Plus Loin Music 2009)
As sideman[edit]
With Cannonball Adderley

Them Dirty Blues (Riverside, 1960)

With Charlie Byrd

Blues Sonata (Riverside, 1961)

With Donald Byrd

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

Flight (Delmark)
With Al Cohn

Play It Now (Xanadu, 1975)

Al Cohn's America (Xanadu, 1976)
No Problem (Xanadu, 1979)
With Sonny Criss

Saturday Morning (Xanadu, 1975)

With Art Farmer and Donald Byrd

2 Trumpets (Prestige, 1956)

With Terry Gibbs

Bopstacle Course (Xanadu, 1974)

With Benny Golson

The Other Side of Benny Golson (Riverside, 1958)

With Dexter Gordon

Clubhouse (Blue Note, 1965 - released 1979)

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, 196162)
With Coleman Hawkins

Wrapped Tight (Impulse!, 1965)

With Louis Hayes

Louis Hayes (Vee-Jay, 1960)

With Jimmy Heath

Picture of Heath (Xanadu, 1975)

With Illinois Jacquet

Bottoms Up (Prestige, 1968)

With Carmell Jones

Jay Hawk Talk (Prestige, 1965)

With Thad Jones

The Magnificent Thad Jones (Blue Note, 1956)

With Sam Jones

Cello Again (Xanadu, 1975)

Changes & Things (Xanadu, 1977)
With Clifford Jordan

Repetition (Soul Note, 1984)

With Lee Konitz

Lullaby of Birdland (Candid, 1991 [1994])

With Harold Land

West Coast Blues! (Jazzland, 1960)

With Yusef Lateef

Eastern Sounds (Moodsville, 1960)

Into Something (New Jazz, 1961)
Suite 16 (Atlantic, 1970)
With Warne Marsh

Back Home (Criss Cross Jazz, 1986)

With Earl May

Swinging The Blues (Arbors, 2005)

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 Billy Mitchell

The Colossus of Detroit (Xanadu, 1978)

With Hank Mobley

The Jazz Message Vol 2 (Savoy 1956)

Mobley's Message (Prestige 1956)
The Turnaround (Blue Note, 1965)
With James Moody

Don't Look Away Now! (Prestige, 1969)

With Lee Morgan

Take Twelve (Jazzland, 1962)

The Sidewinder (Blue Note, 1963)
With Dave Pike

It's Time for Dave Pike (Riverside, 1961)

With Sonny Red

Breezing (Jazzland, 1960)

The Mode (Jazzland (1961)
Images (Jazzland, 1961)
With Sonny Stitt

Sonny Stitt (Argo, 1958)

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, 1975 [1978])
With Don Wilkerson

The Texas Twister (Riverside, 1960)

References[edit]
1. Jump up^ Milkowski, Bill (1998). "Barry Harris: Young-
hearted elder". Jazz Times.
2. Jump up^ Barry Harris: Spirit of Bebop. Efor Films.
2004.
3. ^ Jump up to:a b c Barry Kernfeld, ed. (2002). The New
Grove Dictionary of Jazz Second edition. London,
England: Macmillan Publishers Limited.
p. 177. ISBN 033369189X.
4. Jump up^ 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. Jump up^ 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. Jump up^ Carr, Ian; Fairweather, Digby; Priestley,
Brian (1988). Jazz The Essential Companion. New
York: Prentice Hall Press. ISBN 0-13-509274-4.
7. Jump up^ 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. Jump up^ 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. Jump up^ "Evolutionary Voicings, Part 1 Howard
Rees' Jazz Workshops". jazzworkshops.com.
Retrieved 2017-04-27.
10. Jump up^ "About Howard Rees Howard Rees' Jazz
Workshops". jazzworkshops.com. Retrieved 2017-04-
27.
11. Jump up^ Barry Harris: Spirit of Bebop. Efor Films.
2004.
12. Jump up^ "Barry Harris Residency April 7 through
10". www.brown.edu. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
13. Jump up^ "Larry Ridley -
Biography". www.larryridley.com. Retrieved 2017-04-
27.
14. Jump up^ "Recognition Awards to Barry Harris for
Outstanding Devotion to Music and Education".
www.barryharris.com. 2014.
15. Jump up^ "Barry Harris facts, information,
pictures". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2017-04-
27.
16. Jump up^ "The Complete Regent Sessions - Pepper
Adams". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
17. Jump up^ "Barry Harris at the Jazz Workshop - Barry
Harris". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
18. Jump up^ "Barry Harris
Discography". www.jazzdisco.org. Retrieved 2017-04-
27.

External links[edit]
Barry Harris Official Website
Jazzworkshops Website -- publisher of Barry Harris
workbooks and instructional videos
Barry Harris at AllMusic
Artist Profile: Barry Harris at WBGO
Transcription of Barry Harris Music

[hide]

Barry Harris

(1958)

961)

y Harris (1961)

New (1961)

rd (1962)

! (1967)

968)

1969)
1972)
Plays Tadd Dameron (1975)

Plays Barry Harris (1978)

ed and Gold (1989)

at the Jazz Workshop (1960)

(1976)

Identities

65522

9150113

0000 5513 5464

398327

37461690

894979j (data)

nz: 413ad03f-d419-43f8-90e2-c24306b965fe
Categories:
1929 births
Living people
American jazz pianists
Bebop pianists
Hard bop pianists
Mainstream jazz pianists
Musicians from Detroit
People from Weehawken, New Jersey
Xanadu Records artists
Prestige Records artists
Riverside Records artists
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