The Genius of Eddie Jefferson Allan Harris

• 1 So What 03:59
• 2 Sister Sadie 04:09
• 3 Dexter Digs In 03:31
• 4 Billy's Bounce 03:53
• 5 Body and Soul 04:30
• 6 Jeannine 04:18
• 7 Filthy McNasty 03:29
• 8 Lester's Trip to the Moon 03:51
• 9 Memphis 03:53
• 10 Waltz for a Rainy Bebop Evening 05:17
• Total Runtime 40:50

Info for The Genius of Eddie Jefferson

Eddie Jefferson was a melodious crooning poet of what Jack Kerouac called bop prosody — a bebop devoted verse-writer and performer possessed of a lyrical gift for conversational storytelling and highflying narration based in the jazz life and jazz talk of his era. Charlie Parker famously said “Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn.”

Jefferson’s great innovation from a creative literary perspective was to extract and extrapolate hip, relatable narrative from jazz heads and horn solos — to construct virtuosic soliloquys out of the swung abstraction of rhythmatized improvisations and melodies.

The most memorably inventive hiphop lyricists — Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, KRS One, Chuck D, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest readily come to mind for this fan of golden era of rap wordsmithery — possess a similar talent for making sure each graf of verse conveys a singular point of view grounded in the African American vernacular and musical culture of their time. And lyricist (as opposed to vocalist) Jefferson’s biggest commercial hit, 1949’s “Moody’s Mood For Love” an ingenious adaptation of James Moody’s burning and yearning tenor response to the call of that melancholic standard, is a well-known proto-rap predecessor to many within vinyl-jazz-knowledgeable rap circles—especially the many with jazz-collecting dads.

Allan Harris and his esteemed cohort deserve applause for returning the jazz world’s attention to this protean pioneer of vocalese and to treating Jefferson’s body of renditions as a classic canon in their own right.

The choices include inevitable tour de forces such as Jefferson’s take on Miles epic trumpet exposition on “So What” and the galvanic heads of Horace Silver’s “Filthy McNasty” and “Sister Sadie” which most fans over 50 will surely recall from the halcyon jazz radio years of their 20s and 30s. But the inclusion of Jefferson’s collaboration with Dexter Gordon also allows us to peep how Jefferson really felt about rocking as compared to bopping — which was competitive in the best way and ready to take the battle to the dance floor.

Harris is a more stately and grounded vocalist than the exuberantly, ecsatatically eccentric Jefferson, but the leader’s natural reserve and impeccable verve renders the genius of Jefferson choices in lyric and lilt remarkably transparent. Harris brings a veteran’s confidence and maturity to the introspective balladry required of “Body and Soul” and to the tricky and acrobatic uptempo twists and turns demanded by “Filthy.”

That the band includes alto saxophonist Richie Cole who shared stages with Jefferson for years (right up until literally the night of the singer’s tragic death) is an added energizing coup. Kudos should go as well to the tenor of Ralph Moore, to the always elegant and propulsive ivories of Eric Reed and to the rhythm section riptide provided by the kickass duo of drummer Willie Jones and bassist George Delancey.

"Harris clearly loves this music and performs it with sincerity and chops. His voice, so different from EJ’s, necessarily takes these songs in a new direction. At times, EJ’s voice looms in the background and pulls you away, but sometimes, with his crystal clear articulation and judicious choice of tempos and arrangements, Harris makes EJ’s music his own." (Steve Provizer, artsfuse.org)

Allan Harris, vocals, guitar
Richie Cole, alto saxophone
George De Lancey, double bass
Willie Jones III, drums
Eric Reed, piano
Ralph Moore, tenor saxophone

Allan Harris
is a world-class singer, guitarist and songwriter. Perhaps best known for his interpretations of jazz standards, Allan’s smooth vocals and guitar-styling easily cross genres, from jazz to rock to blues. He is unquestionably one of the most versatile talents in contemporary jazz and blues music. “Harris is a velvet-voiced jazz singer, with a savvy manner and music in his veins.” (Variety) Very few vocalists in the industry have his charismatic combination of soulful yet elegant phrasing, exciting musicianship, and dynamic stage presence.

Tony Bennett has called Allan “my favorite singer” and The New York Times’ Stephen Holden raves about “the protean talent that is Allan Harris.” Allan has cultivated a global following, playing for packed audiences and receiving outstanding reviews throughout the United States, Europe, Russia and the Far East. A three-time winner of the New York Nightlife Award for “Outstanding Jazz Vocalist,” Allan is regularly featured at the world’s great music festivals. The Miami Herald wrote that Harris’ voice and demeanor “project the warmth of Tony Bennett, the bite and rhythmic sense of Sinatra, and the sly elegance of Nat ‘King’ Cole.”

Growing up in Brooklyn, Harris was meant to be a musician. His mother was a classical pianist, and his Aunt was an opera singer, who turned to the blues. Because Aunt Theodosia attracted the attention of famed music producer Clarence Williams, he became a regular dinner guest and often brought along other performers such as Louis Armstrong. Once Armstrong even baby-sat and terrified young Allan with his “frog like voice.” Sunday afternoons were spent at the Apollo matinees, which was across the street from his Aunt Kate’s Soul Food restaurant, where he got to meet many of the artists who played the Apollo during his formative years.

As a teenager, Harris moved to Pittsburgh where he learned from some of the masters like Harold Betters and Roger Humphries. He worked with bands around the area and learned to play many different styles of guitar from country to soul music, and ultimately found his niche in jazz. Early on in his career he was known as a guitar player who sang, but as audiences began hearing his voice he became more focused on singing. While his guitar style was influenced by rock musicians of the day, his voice always was most comfortable singing the American Songbook. Harris moved to Atlanta and then to Miami where he continued developing his voice and stage presence. It was in Miami that he first met Tony Bennett who encouraged him to return to New York in 1991.

Since then Harris has been a featured soloist and producer of a three-year jazz series at Sotheby’s where he first teamed up with Tommy Flanagan. He has paid tribute to Nat “King” Cole at the Kennedy Center where he recorded, Long Live the King (Love Productions Records, 2007) and continues to tour around the world. In 2007, Mr. Harris was awarded the Chamber Music of America Residency Grant for his “Cross That River” project which toured 12 schools in Harlem. Since then, the Cross That River Band has been invited to perform in schools across the country from Savannah, GA, to San Angelo, TX. In addition to touring schools, The Kennedy Center chose to broadcast the performance to children across the country via satellite, as part of their Distance Learning Program. “Cross That River,” is now a full-scale musical celebrating the Old West as told through the words and music of a black cowboy, and played to rave reviews during the 2009 New York Musical Theater Festival and is currently in pre-production for a long-term run in early 2014. Several original songs from “Cross That River” are also frequently featured in The Allan Harris Band’s concert performances.

In addition to music, Allan is passionate about giving back. He is a long-time supporter of the St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital, Guitars in the Classroom, and Challenge Aspen/America where he donates a performance every year, along with Vince Gill and Amy Grant. As a Gibson Guitar featured artist, Allan and Ruby (his constant 6 lb. canine companion and the first dog music critic) can frequently be found rehearsing at the Gibson Hit Factory, and along with The Allan Harris Band, enjoy playing the top music clubs in his hometown of New York City.

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