The 11th Season of Jazz at the Mosesian continues with The Kevin Harris Project.
The West African Griot often encompasses that of historian, poet, teacher, advisor, ambassador, and storyteller. In his second installation project, โGriot Footsteps vol.2โ Kevin Harris explores the powerful message and musical interpretation of one of America's most formidable griots, Martin Luther King. Joining Harrisโ for this exciting interpretation at the Mosesian Center for the Arts are Jason Palmer, (trumpet), Ron Mahdi (acoustic bass), and Ron Savage (drums)
When the unmistakable musical influences of Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker intersect with J.S. Bach, Scott Joplin, and the folkloric rhythms of Cuba, could one possibly conceptualize the celebration that occurs at that intersection? Jazz pianist Kevin Harris plays a distinctive combination of traditional and contemporary music that seeks to explore such a crossroad. ...
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The 11th Season of Jazz at the Mosesian continues with The Kevin Harris Project.
The West African Griot often encompasses that of historian, poet, teacher, advisor, ambassador, and storyteller. In his second installation project, โGriot Footsteps vol.2โ Kevin Harris explores the powerful message and musical interpretation of one of America's most formidable griots, Martin Luther King. Joining Harrisโ for this exciting interpretation at the Mosesian Center for the Arts are Jason Palmer, (trumpet), Ron Mahdi (acoustic bass), and Ron Savage (drums)
When the unmistakable musical influences of Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker intersect with J.S. Bach, Scott Joplin, and the folkloric rhythms of Cuba, could one possibly conceptualize the celebration that occurs at that intersection? Jazz pianist Kevin Harris plays a distinctive combination of traditional and contemporary music that seeks to explore such a crossroad.
One of the captivating elements of the Kevin Harris Project is the level of comfort and understanding they have with one another as they dive into soulfully expressive conversations and playful exchanges of ideas. Both live and recorded performances reflect Harrisโs determination to capture his audience through explorative interactions that Terri Lyne Carrington describes as "an exciting commitment to quality".
Harris performs at renowned national and international venues -Blue Note (NYC, Beijing, Milan, and Boston), Smalls Jazz Club, Mezzrow Jazz Club, JazzHus Montmartre, Wally's, to name a few. His ensemble has also participated at Jazz Festivals in Cuba, Panama, Italy, Denmark, Peru, Israel, and the USA.
As a leader, he has released five albums. DownBeat defines some of Harrisโ compositions as โoverall smart, lyrical and engrossingโ, and The Phoenix highlights โthe tight/loose elasticity, the tension between form and freedom that was the hallmark of so many Miles Davis sessions with Shorter and Herbie Hancock . . . calm and collected, but also loose and full of surprises."
Harris is in demand as a clinician and consistently collaborates with both public and private education institutions nationally and internationally. He is currently on faculty at Berklee College of Music where he teaches piano, jazz ensembles, and theory classes; he is also a MIT affiliated artist.
Harris thrives on communication. A typical performance always involves interacting with the audience that in turn inspires a sense of joyful connectedness and community. "Participation,โ Harris says, "is what keeps our souls alive.
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