Barry Doyle Harris was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. He was born on December 15, 1929, and passed away on December 8, 2021. He was an expert in the bebop style. He was influenced by jazz musicians Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell. In return, he influenced and mentored other bebop musicians such as Donald Byrd, Paul Chambers, Curtis Fuller, Joe Henderson, Charles McPherson, and Michael Weiss.

Early life

Harris was born on December 15, 1929, in Detroit, Michigan, to Melvin and Bessie Harris. He was the fourth of their five children. At the age of four, Harris received piano lessons from his mother. His mother, who played the piano at church, asked him if he wanted to play church music or jazz. He chose jazz. During his teenage years, he performed at dances held at his high school, local clubs, and ballrooms. Harris's family home became a popular place where young jazz musicians gathered to play. Some of these musicians included Roland Hanna, Sonny Red, Donald Byrd, and Harold McKenny. Many important figures in Motown, such as Berry Gordy, were friends of Harris when he was young.

Career

Barry Harris described Bud Powell's style as the best example of jazz. He learned bebop mainly by listening to recordings, starting with Powell's version of "Webb City" with Sonny Stitt and Fats Navarro. Harris made one of his first recordings in Toledo, Ohio, in 1950, and another in Detroit in 1952 with trombonist Frank Rosolino. Harris later said he also recorded a musical for Willie "Face" Smith around this time, but the album was lost.

Harris stayed in Detroit during the 1950s and worked with musicians such as Miles Davis, Sonny Stitt, and Thad Jones. He also played in place of Junior Mance in Gene Ammons' band. In 1956, he toured briefly with Max Roach after Richie Powell, the band's pianist and Bud Powell's younger brother, died in a car accident. Harris left Detroit in 1960 to tour with the Cannonball Adderley quintet.

Harris performed with the Cannonball Adderley quintet and on television with them. After moving to New York City, he worked as an educator and played with Dexter Gordon, Illinois Jacquet, Yusef Lateef, and Hank Mobley. He was a sideman on Lee Morgan's famous album The Sidewinder and returned to recording as a leader after moving to New York.

Between 1965 and 1969, Harris worked often with Coleman Hawkins at the Village Vanguard. He was one of the few musicians who continued to play bebop in Harlem during the shift toward jazz fusion in the late 1960s.

During the 1970s, Harris lived with Thelonious Monk at the home of Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter in Weehawken, New Jersey. He played in place of Monk during rehearsals at the New York Jazz Repertory Company in 1974.

In Japan, Harris performed at the Yubin Chokin concert hall in Tokyo over two days. His performances were recorded and released as an album by Xanadu Records.

Between 1982 and 1987, Harris managed the Jazz Cultural Theatre on 8th Avenue in New York. With promoters Jim Harrison and Frank Fuentes, he brought jazz artists to the club, including Jaki Byard, Bill Hardman, Junior Cook, Vernel Fournier, Walter Bishop Jr., Michael Weiss, and Chris Anderson. The club closed due to rising rent.

From the 1990s onward, Harris worked with Howard Rees to create videos and workbooks that explained his harmonic and improvisational systems and teaching methods. He held music workshops in New York City for vocalists and students of piano and other instruments.

Harris received an honorary doctorate from Northeastern University and a joint award with Oscar Peterson and Hank Jones from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Harris appeared in the 1989 documentary film Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (produced by Clint Eastwood's company), performing duets with Tommy Flanagan. In 1999, he was featured in the film Barry Harris: Spirit of Bebop.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Harris moved his weekly workshops online using Zoom. He died from complications of the virus at a hospital in North Bergen, New Jersey, on December 8, 2021, a week before his 92nd birthday. Harris taught his final music class less than three weeks before his death.

Personal life

Harris married Christine Brown in 1953. They stayed married until she passed away in 2017. In 1993, he had a stroke. After recovering, he continued his work and performed in public.

Awards and honors

• 1989: Received the NEA Jazz Master award
• 1995: Earned an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Northwestern University
• 1995: Honored with the Honorary Jazz Award by the U.S. House of Representatives
• 1995: Received the Presidential Award for Dedication and Commitment to Jazz Performance and Education
• 1997: Awarded the Dizzy Gillespie Achievement Award
• 1997: Recognized for Excellence in Jazz Music and Education
• 1998: Received a congratulatory letter from the U.S. White House as a Jazz Musician and Educator
• 1998: Awarded the Lifetime Achievements Award for Contributions to the Music World by the National Association of Negro Musicians
• 2000: Inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame for Lifetime Achievements and Contributions to Jazz