Stefon Harris
Stefon Harris (* 23. March 1973 in Albany , New York ) is an American jazz - vibraphone .
Live and act
Harris began playing the piano at the age of six and then expanded his interest into many other instruments. He attended the Manhattan School of Music , where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Music and a Master of Arts in Jazz Performance. Since 1996 he has appeared on albums by Steve Coleman , Joe Henderson , Wynton Marsalis , Jason Moran , Steve Turré , Cassandra Wilson and others. a. He is also a member of the SFJazz Collective .
In 1998 his debut A Cloud of Red Dust was released, on which he was supported by musicians such as Mulgrew Miller , Steve Turré and Greg Osby . The latter then took over the production of the second album Black Action Figure and conceived the following project New Directions , in which Osby sponsored the young Blue Note musicians Harris, Jason Moran and Mark Shim (who only appeared as a guest musician after this album).
In 2001 Harris and Jacky Terrasson collaborated with Kindred, and in 2003 a concept album called The Grand Unification Theory , which was recorded with a twelve-part ensemble. While the album Evolution , released in 2004, was characterized by styles such as fusion or Afro-Cuban elements, and with saxophonist Casey Benjamin and keyboardist Marc Cary, two experienced musicians in crossover , he edited parts of various larger works by Duke Ellington on the 2006 African Tarantella . In 2009 a second album followed after Evolution , Urbanus , with his backing band under the name Blackout (with saxophonist Casey Benjamin , pianist Marc Cary and drummer Terreon Gully ; with the exception of the bassist ( Ben Williams instead of Darryl Hall ) the line-up remained constant). It is Harris' first album that was not released by Blue Note, but by Concord .
Harris cultivates a lyrical style on his albums, which runs as a constant through the thematically differently conceived albums. His albums Black Action Figure , Kindred and The Grand Unification Theory received Grammy nominations for “best jazz album” or “best jazz instrumental solo”.
Discographic notes
| title | year | Label |
|---|---|---|
| A cloud of red dust | 1998 | Blue note |
| Black Action Figure | 1999 | Blue note |
| New Directions (with Jason Moran, Greg Osby, Mark Shim) | 2000 | Blue note |
| Kindred (with Jacky Terrasson) | 2001 | Blue note |
| The Grand Unification Theory | 2003 | Blue note |
| Evolution (with blackout ) | 2004 | Blue note |
| African tarantella | 2006 | Blue note |
| Urbanus (with blackout ) | 2009 | Concord |
| Ninety Miles (with David Sánchez and Christian Scott ) | 2011 | Concord |
Web links
- official website ( Flash plug-in required to view)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Harris, Stefon |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz vibraphonist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 23, 1973 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Albany , New York, USA |