Barry Harris

2 LPs ON 1 CD

The piano work of Barry Harris grew out of Art Tatum and Bud Powell among others, but, rather than mere imitation, what is clear from these early-60s sessions is that he had rapidly forged from elements of his mentors’ manner a form of expression distinctly his own.

An extremely fluent, absorbing soloist, on the first album, “Newer than New” he leads an interesting group that reflects some of his most ingratiating characteristics. Charles McPherson, for example, is a fine altoist rooted in Charlie Parker, but the final product is unmistakeably McPherson, while to a lesser extent Hillyer on trumpet had a similar relationship to Dizzy Gillespie. Besides their consistently excellent soloing they contribute impressively to the strong, meaty ensembles that, along with an impressively light and buoyant rhythm section, characterised this excellent quintet.

On “Listen to Barry Harris,” the mark of Tatum is all over these sensitive and imaginative unaccompanied piano solos. Like Tatum, Harris makes you listen, not by frenzy or force, but by the constantly shifting timbres and polyrhythmic pulses that emerge from his playing, reinforced ultimately by the long, lyrical, right-hand lines that are his most rewarding attribute.

PERSONNEL:

[1-8] from the album Newer Than New
LONNIE HILLYER. trumpet
CHARLES McPHERSON, alto sa
BARRY HARRIS, piano
ERNIE FARROW, bass
CLIFFORD JARVIS, drums
New York City, September 28, 1961.

[9-18] from the album Listen to Barry Harris... Solo Piano
BARRY HARRIS, piano solo
New York City, on July 4, 1961.

TRACKS:

01. Mucho Dinero
02. Easy to Love
03. Burgundy
04. The Last One
05. Anthropology
06. I Didn’t Know What Time It Was
07. Make Haste
08. Nightingale
09. Londonderry Air
10. Mutattra
11. Louise
12. Body and Soul
13. Ascension
14. Anachronism
15. I Didn’t Know What Time It Was
16. Teenie
17. Sphere
18. Dancing in the Dark