Allan Harris

Wednesday, December 9, 2015 at 7:45pm

ALLAN HARRIS QUINTET - CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF THE MUSIC OF BILLY STRAYHORN

Broward Center for the Performing Arts - Amaturo Theater

201 SW 5th Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33312

Allan Harris

Published on Mar 29, 2015
Watch this mesmerizing & soulful version of My Funny Valentine (aka My Funky Valentine) as award winning vocalist Allan Harris' brandy baritone is accompanied by the ever funky B3 organ playing of Pascal Le Boeuf.

Allan Harris ....

Published on Mar 29, 2015
Watch this mesmerizing & soulful version of My Funny Valentine (aka My Funky Valentine) as award winning vocalist Allan Harris' brandy baritone is accompanied by the ever funky B3 organ playing of Pascal Le Boeuf.

Allan Harris.....

Written by Lucy Galliher
On April 7 and 8, 2009, Allan Harris brought a swinging quintet to Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola to commemorate the music of Billy Strayhorn. In the band were: Allan Harris, vocals; Miles Okazaki, guitar; Don Braden, tenor sax and flute; Dan Kaufman, piano; Paul Beaudry, bass and Ulysses Owens, drums. Strayhorn, in addition to being Ellington’s big band arranger for many years, was a prolific composer. His biography was written by David Hajdu in the fascinating and thorough book, Lush Life, and he happened to be in the audience the night I went to Dizzy’s! Harris sang a number of Strayhorn originals, some more well-known than others, and told anecdotes about each one of them, making for a very interesting show.

They started with a very relaxed number, “Just A-Sittin’ and A-Rockin’” which showed off Allan’s silky smooth voice. By the second chorus, he was belting it, and Miles played some down-home blues on guitar. Dan followed it up with two-fisted chords on piano, and Don filled expertly on tenor. “Day Dream” was one of the first songs Strayhorn wrote for the Ellington Orchestra, and Allan sang the verse, which has a beautiful melody in its own right, quite different from the refrain. Dan accompanied Allan sensitively on the piano, allowing Allan to mold his expressive voice into a multitude of emotions. One of the most haunting pieces of Strayhorn’s is “A Flower is a Lovesome Thing.” Miles started playing his guitar softly, segueing into a Latin feel, and Allan, going with the flow, made it easy for the audience to understand every word, with his precise diction and perfect timing.

The band also did a few crowd pleasers, like “Satin Doll” and “Take the ‘A’ Train,” but the ballads, which mostly featured Braden on flute, were my favorites. First, “Something to Live For,” which Allen said was Ella Fitzgerald’s favorite tune, opened with just piano and was softly executed so that one could concentrate on the lyrics. Second, “Chelsea Bridge” contained refreshing new and hip lyrics that were penned by a friend of Allan’s from Washington, D.C. And, last but not least, Allan sang the most famous tune of Billy Strayhorn’s, the enigmatic “Lush Life.” Allan interpreted it a little faster than usual, while keeping it introspective, singing some beautiful high notes in falsetto during the ending phrase, “and those whose lives are lonely, too.” Altogether, Allan Harris’ “Music of Billy Strayhorn” was a very satisfying show.
http://www.allanharris.com/press.aspx

Allan Harris new Christmas CD, Dedicated to You: "Allan Harris Sings a Nat King Cole Christmas"

On Tuesday, December 7, 2009, Allan Harris will release his new Christmas CD, Dedicated to You: Allan Harris Sings a Nat King Cole Christmas featuring the rare holiday classic The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot made famous by Nat King Cole. The CD also features Harris on guitar on Blue Christmas and a swinging duet with jazz vocalist Rene Marie on Baby It's Cold Outside. It was recorded at KUVO Radio Station in Denver, Colorado in front of a live studio audience last Christmas.
The musicians on Dedicated to You: Allan Harris Sings a Nat King Cole Christmas are Denver based pianist Eric Gunnison (toured and recorded with Carmen McCrae) Mark Simon on bass (also toured with Carmen McCrae) and Paul Romaine on drums (founder of the Colorado Conservatory of Jazz Arts). The CD was produced by Allan's wife and manager Pat Harris in collaboration Will Barnett from KUVO Radio. Says Allan: “These 14 songs I chose from Nat’s Christmas recordings are my personal favorites. I have wanted to do a Christmas CD for many years so when KUVO expressed their interest in hosting a live Christmas recording for an in-studio audience, I jumped at the idea. The night was made even more magical by the lovely addition of jazz vocalist Rene Marie who graced the recording with her beautiful voice.”

This December, Allan Harris and his trio will be on tour at the following venues:
December 11 The Miller Theatre, NYC (with Eric Reed)
December 15 One World Theatre, Austin , TX
December 16 San Angelo, TX Gentleman's Society
December 19 Dazzles, Denver, CO (with Eric Gunnison Trio)
December 23 Metropolitan Room, NYC 7:30 PM
Dec. 28-Jan. 4 Umbria Winter Fest 17

“Somewhere along the line Allan Harris developed an almost eerie talent for evoking Cole's mellow baritone. Because it's a gift, not a gimmick, audiences soon become aware that Harris and Cole naturally share the same vocal wavelength.” (THE WASHINGTON POST) In fact, his very first New York review in The New York Post read: “The Man Who Would Be Cole.” At that time, Harris wasn’t ready for such comparisons, but a few years later he was contacted by Camelot Productions in Israel to see if he’d consider doing a 10-day tour in tribute to Cole. The tour was a tremendous success – all 10 shows were sold out and the crowds demanded encores at every venue. Later, The Kennedy Center called to see if he'd be interested in doing a tribute for their Jazz series at the Terrace Theatre. They decided to do a live recording of the two-night engagement and the CD "Long Live the King" was released in 2007.

Allan Harris....

Allan Harris in a new show celebrating The Music of Billy Eckstine

Hot off a seven day sold-out run of his new musical Cross That River, and a month long feature on the Times Square Spectacolor Billboard, international jazz recording artist, and three time New York Nightlife Award Winner for "Outstanding Jazz Vocalist" Allan Harris is debuting his newest show at the Metropolitan Room to honor another great vocalist, Billy Eckstine. For this performance he is collaborating with author David Hajdu, who has written a new book highlighting the life and music of Mr. B. Some of the songs that will be featured are "I Apologize," "A Cottage for Sale," and "I've Never Been in Love Before."

Harris has been called "the most exciting singer on the scene" (Village Voice) "a velvet-voiced jazz singer, with a savvy manner and music in his veins. (Variety), and "a supremely relaxed and tasteful crooner in the Nat ‘King’ Cole tradition . . ." (New York Times)
The Metropolitan Room > http://www.metropolitanroom.com
Thursday, November 5th @ 9:45