I spent an afternoon hanging out with him and my friend Bess Bonnier at his place in Harper Woods, MI. It was New Year's Day about 10 or 15 years ago. What a cool cat.
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Barry Harris is a national treasure. Years ago I thought he should be a candidate for a MacArthur Fellowship award. I asked several people how one gets nominated and of course there was no public channel to the nominators. Max Roach got a MacArthur which was well deserved. Dr. Harris is in same league. I am proud to call him my friend and to recognize his special contribution to JAZZ.
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Everyone is welcome, and the website notes that you don’t even know how to play piano to attend.
Correction: Everyone is welcome, and the website notes that you don’t even (have to or need to?) know how to play piano to attend.
No need to post.
Thank you for the great article.
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Barry Harris is a great guy and a wonderful piano player.
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In 30 years of photographing, writing about, and interviewing jazz musicians, Barry Harris is one the most delightful, humorous, continually surprising, and gentlemanly people I've met.
And a knowledge base extending far into the arcane. I once asked him an off-key question, if anyone ever mispronounced his name. "Oh yes, I often thought about an album called "Barry Harris Plays the Music of Harry Barris."
Sly.
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@Svirchev Ha! What a gift to have known him. RIP, Maestro.
Terrific article. Thanks so much for writing it. The great Barry Harris is one of a long list of superb pianists who came out of Detroit in the 1950's; greats like Tommy Flanagan and Hank Jones.
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The holy trinity of second generation bebop pianists
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I've seen him a couple of times at the free concerts staged by the Jazzmobile (jazzmobile.org). That is truly one of New York's best-kept secrets (unfortunately), which should be far more publicized than it is. For more than 50 years, musicians like Barry Harris, Dexter Gordon, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Charles Mingus, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and countless others have given these free concerts for neighborhoods around the city. We owe them a great debt, and should support this organization.
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This. Is. AWESOME!
Love Barry Harris and didn't realize he still lived in The Baroness' house.
During these troubling times, it's wonderful to read articles like this.
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At 65, and bebop fan for 50 years, delighted to find this on the front page of NYT. Dr. Harris is indeed a national treasure, check out his youtube tutorials. Still learning from him and still playing the piano because of him. Thank you, Dr. Harris! If I could come to NYC, your workshop would be my first and true destination.
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It was my delight to see this article about Barry Harris. One of the great American musicians who shares his wonderful insight into the nuts and bolts of music. His ideas and insights has certainly helped me develop my skills and understanding. I can't think of anything more valuable and enriching. Thank you Barry for all you do.
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Some of us are much older than 60. And I first went to the workshop 39 years ago, so it's been going awhile. Barry is a bright light.
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Reason Number 8764 why NYC is the greatest city in the world.
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I was lucky enough to catch Dr. Harris at the Village Vanguard last year. Not only was he an amazing piano player but quite the raconteur. Live long, sir, and keep bopping!
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Glad to see this, Bebop and modern jazz is the finest music every recorded, in large part, because of the sheer talent creativity required in improvisation.
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Dr. Harris is an inspiration to all us 73-year-old kids out here. Thank you, sir!
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WOW ! I am very fortunate to read this wonderful article. I salute this young man of 90 years. Great and easily approachable musician that too at a nominal cost. Blessed are those students of music, who have learnt something from him.
If I were to know about him when we were in New York, I would have simply paid him $ 15 even if it were one hour session just to listen to his music eight years ago. I confess that I have practically zero knowledge about English music but I love to listen to any music that is pleasing to ears irrespective of language and musical instruments.
I regret not knowing about such an inspiring musician at that time. A golden opportunity missed quite unknowingly.
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Dr. Harris embodies the true spirit of a genuine artist: Create something beautiful and share that creative spirit with every life he or she touches.
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Great piece!
I'm 58 now, and have been a bebop fanatic since I was a teenager. I played alto sax in school, and as a high school freshman joined our school jazz band, though I knew nothing about jazz and our "jazz band" taught us nothing about greats like Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, or John Coltrane.
I remember going to the Flint Public Library at the age of 15, poring through the stacks to find books on jazz, and reading that Charlie Parker was supposed to be the greatest jazz saxophonist of all time. I then went to the small record section of the library and finding just one LP by Parker (I think a collection of Dial or Savoy sessions). When I put the library headphones on and listened to Bird for the first time, my life was changed.
Many kudos to Mr. Harris for keeping the flame burning.
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Nice piece. Barry Harris tells a great story about living in the same house as Monk. Watch for it on the Straight No Chaser Movie on the life and music of Thelonious Monk. Although he lived with Monk, I hear the influence of Bud Powell in Harris' playing more.
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Magnificent! by the Barry Harris Trio is a great album; I'm listening to it now. Thank you for the article.
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A testimony to this fine exemplar of the beauty and power of music to calm the rough water of our society and world at this particular moment Bravo Doc, keep 'er goin'!
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Not many people know this, but Barry Harris played classical piano as well. I heard him play Chopin's Revolutionary Etude back in the early 80s, quite impressively.
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Way back in 1961 I worked on the Barry Harris Riverside Jazzland record cover Perminado it is still a great cover and remember when Barry came into the Silverstein studio at 210 5th avenue for that shoot,I said "what a great pianist you are"..glad we are still both around.
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Coming on the Heels of Mr. Tyners' obit, this was a wonderful read.
Back in the seventies, I had the privilege of seeing Charles McPherson play at a community college I attended. The event was in the upstairs lounge of the student union, which had a beat up upright piano.
When the set started all ears were of course, delighted with McPherson; but when the cat on that decrepit piano took his solo, we were gobsmacked.
The piano was not in the best of Tune, and a string or two might have been missing in action; but by my Stars & Garters, those present (myself included) would swear there was nothing wrong with the instrument!
That pianist was the good Doctor!
I took Television Production at that school, and colleagues of mine dragged a camera and VCR machine in to record the show; we're not talking VHS folks, this was one inch reel.
Quite a number of us copied that tape. Sadly, my copy was an 8-Track. Wish I had it today.
Since that time I've never forgotten about Dr. Harris and the Music he performed and revered.
Bird Lives, in more ways than three!
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@rbrown39 Bird lives--and so does Monk, and Diz, and Bud--they all still live as long as musicians talk about them and learn from them by playing their music. I'm proud to be one such. Barry Harris is a national treasure. Let's remember a song by Jon Hendricks that goes "Bop ain't dead, that's a line of jive. . ."
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wow can relate to this cat, the last daddy of cool jazz, bebop, and I ve been jamming up and down the scale to dizzy, chet,bird and miles for 7 years along with cliff, Lee and Freddy to Gods favorite music.. a real blessing
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@Eddie the eagle
Not the last, Eddie. We still have a great first-generation bebopper, Roy Haynes and a great second-generation bebopper, Sonny Rollins (not playing but still here).
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We should be ashamed that artists like Barry Harris are not treated like royalty. But then why would we value someone who doesn't have a brand or a million YouTube hits or dancers by the dozens all around him when he performs.
This country values one thing and one thing only...financial success. Many Americans would look at Mr. Harris and consider him an abject failure.
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@Magan Jazz is loved far more all around the globe than it is here, and that's a shame and a disgrace. And there's a definite racial component contributing to its marginalization here. Still, America is where every jazz musician wants to play, just as every Muslim wants to visit Mecca. ("Mecca" here being, chiefly, New York City.) Jazz and its players and singers aren't greatly respected here, but we don't care: We play on and no one can stop us creating beauty.
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Learning by ear...what a novel concept.
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@Magan
Novel (tongue-in-cheek) but perennial. That's how I learned!
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As Keith Richards said concerning rock/blues, "you've got to pass it on". Thank you Dr. Harris, for doing the same for bebop. Bird lives!
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A ray of sunshine.
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It is indeed a wonderful thing that the New York Times is putting a spotlight on this longstanding class. Would that they had considered sending a reporter with real knowledge of jazz to cover it, or at least having a qualified editor look this piece over. Nobody was playing a "Cole Porter improvisation," though someone might well have been improvising on a tune by Cole Porter. And of the five names Barry Harris is said to have recited, only the first three are bebop musicians. Art Tatum and Coleman Hawkins were inspirations to the beboppers, but were most assuredly not of their generation.
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@NT
Don't miss the forest for the trees, NT.
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@Humphrey Claim Say that when a scientifically-illiterate reporter is sent to cover a story in the sciences, HC. Low standards for journalism are how we got here in the first place.
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Luckily I had an opportunity to find BH school on youtube, since then my thinking about music change a lot, although I am a piano and bass player for almost 15 years.. Thank You for that Barry :)
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Thanks for giving Mr Harris this recognition. Barry Harris has made major contributions to continuing the jazz tradition of mentoring, not to mention his own excellent playing. He’s featured amongst others, in the fine book, “Jazz From Detroit” by Mark Stryker. Highly recommended.
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Terrific article on a truly amazing legend in the jazz and bebop style . Thank you!
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He is a national treasure. He deserves broader societal and financial recognition.
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Known him since '76. I was in the young rhythm section at the Jazz Cultural Theater. Met the jazz world there, so important for a young musician. So many real and dedicated jazz pros passed through there I got a chance to play and even gig with---and Barry was the conduit. Kim Clarke; Rodney Kendrick; M'Fergu; myself and SO many fortunate others drank it all in. Barry did more than teach: he created a community. He paid us kids---and the pros like C. Sharpe; Junior Cook; Jaki Byard; Chris Anderson, etc., tremendous talents not getting exposed on the 'big circuit' top tier clubs---out of his pocket! There's only one Barry Harris...
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I booked Barry a number of times in NY. The last exponent of the language known as Be Bop.
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There aren't enough superlatives to describe my experience in Barry's workshop. The lessons learned far exceed just the music. He is a master of monumental proportions.
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I discovered bebop in a serious way about nine years ago, at age 67. I discovered Dr. Harris’ workshop about two years ago. Now that I’m retired I can easily take the bus from DC to New York about once a month to attend his Tuesday night sessions. It is the joy of my life to be in the presence of this master. We are very fortunate to have Dr. Harris with us, willing to be our teacher and guide.
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I went to class (not as regularly as I should have) in the 90s and before that had the honor of attending a master class when I was in college that if memory serves correct was around 11 hours in duration. Dr. Harris is the greatest teacher of anything that I have ever seen. Educators of all stripes, go, take note, and learn!
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Thank you for this touching portrait of a devoted artist and teacher. I’ve never met Dr Harris but I have watched him teach on YouTube and he’s amazing.
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Beautiful and informative. I did not know he was alive and doing these workshops!
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I remember going to his Jazz Cultural Theater on 8th Avenue in the 20's in the 1980's, before Chelsea's gentrification. It was a fantastic place for jazz. $2 to get in for cover charge, furniture from the salvation army, and endless unpretentious music. It was all about the music. No glitz or glitter.
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i remembered that well!
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YouTube has lots of videos Dr. Harris playing and the students listening.
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Many years of listening enjoyment . Probably in the 1970's Dr Harris did a date on the European Label
Playing the Rodgers and Hammerstein "If I Love You " still one of my favorite Barry Harris dates close to 45 years later . Including Donna Lee , Shaw Nuff amongst other Tin Pan Alley and pure unadulterated
BeBop . What a blessing Dr Harris is still with us imparting his vast wealth of knowledge .
It's not very many pianist who play the proper changes , skating by substituting modes for the correct cord changes . Dr Harris still speaks the language of BeBop fluently !
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Superb, rich, toe tapping, smile-inducing tribute to Dr. Barry Harris.
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It's like finding Mount Rushmore in your own back yard! Barry Harris is a national treasure--as a performer, as an educator, and as a human being. Fifteen dollars? This has to be the biggest bargain in music
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I'd pay the $15 gladly just to listen to him play for 15 minutes.
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Thank you for this article about one of the last remaining living masters of the golden age of jazz.
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more jazz, please. less politics. music, the ineffable truth. Dr Harris, love and greetings from way down south!
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This is the first that I've heard of Dr. Harris. Sounds like an amazing man passing on this knowledge to the young.
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First time? are you real? where have you been? (all love)
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