Search - Herb Harris :: NY Daze and Knight

Excellent Retro-style Album

Davlo | West Kingston, RI | 02/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was a perk I received for donating to a college radio station that does a great job with jazz (WRNI). I put this album aside and all but forgot about it for months. What a mistake - this is some brilliant stuff!



By referring to it as retro, I am giving it a great compliment, as it feels like a recording that could have come from the great Be-bop era with contemporaries like Gordon, Coltrane, Young, and so.



Don't miss an opportunity to own some wonderful jazz, soulfully played and with tremendous talent."

GREAT!

ashley | Rochelle Park, NJ USA | 04/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I personally know Herb Harris.. Great musician and human being! He's so dedicated to music and his heart is in it and you can hear it through this C.D. Highly recommend!"

Future Collector's Item

Alan Clark | Tokyo, Japan | 01/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Herb Harris is a tremendous young saxophonist in the tradition of such great tenors as Lester Young, Sonny Rollins, and John Coltrane. While the influence of these masters can be heard in Harris's playing, he has developed his own unique style, and his rich, beautiful tone is his alone. Harris cut his teeth playing with jazz giants Wynton Marsalis and Marcus Roberts, and this album of completely original compositions demonstrates that he has learned his lessons well. Monkee See Monkee Doo is an infectious tune with a deceptively simple melody, rather reminiscent of Thelonius Monk's Raise Four. NY Daze NY Knight makes good use of drummer Brian Blade's tremendous abilities. Blade is well-known in the jazz world and is considered to be one of the most creative drummers to emerge in recent years. He also has a razor's edge sense of rhythm and swing. Blade is truly a great musician, one who is destined to be remembered and studied by future drummers. What immediately stands out on A Two Per to Fill is bassist Greg Williams' fat, swinging bass lines as he drives the ensemble forward. The quartet has great chemistry, and they are swinging with a fury here. Paranioa is a spectacular track on which the swinging continues unabated, and pianist Peter Martin plays mad scientist for the ensemble, laying down complex, shifting harmonies underneath Harris before demonstrating his own considerable prowess and musical vision. Martin has played with a Who's Who of modern jazz greats, and his presence on the album is invaluable. Robert Earl and Alice Yvonne, meanwhile, are inspired ballads that are perfectly suited to Harris's rich tone.This album is a must-have for jazz lovers. If you think that the quality might be substandard because this is an independent release, you are mistaken. Harris is a talented composer, all the musicians in the group are immensely talented and renowned in jazz circles, and the recording itself was done in a professional studio. This is no garage band and this is not your typical independent release. I strongly recommend this album. Considering the wealth of young talent assembled here, this album is likely to be of interest to future collectors."