Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Gene Harris Quartet: Another Night In London

448

Gene Harris Quartet: Another Night In London

By

Sign in to view read count
Gene Harris Quartet: Another Night In London
Pianist Eric Reed once described Gene Harris (1933-2000) thusly, "Gene Harris = Power!" Harris often described himself as "a blues pianist with chops." And what chops those were. In his nearly 50- year career, Harris never veered from his soulful, blues-oriented approach to making music. If Bill Evans could be considered a master of the jazz ballad, then Harris was his counterpart in the sturdy 12-bar jazz mainstay. If music can smile, Gene Harris' would beam.

In 2008 Resonance Records released Live in London, a disc capturing Harris' spring 1996 concert at London's Pizza Express with a local rhythm section. This release was derived from private tapes held by Harris' widow, Janie Harris, and is the only available release of Harris with this British quartet. Another Night in London includes six more lengthy pieces from the same show.

Harris was known for giving pieces a complete workout in performance and the six included here are no exception. The shortest, Alan Brandt and Bob Haymes' "That's All," clocks in at just over eight minutes. The longest is a frenetically and orchestrally introduced 13-minute "Georgia On My Mind," that rocks as effectively as his famous performance of "Summertime" on Ray Brown's Bam, Bam, Bam (Concord, 1988).

The disc opens with the Harris mainstay, "Sweet Georgia Brown," piquantly arranged and brimming with blues rhetoric and smoldering church fire. Harris solos two-handed with the band at full tilt, followed by guitarist Jim Mullen cramming his solo full of quotes; dig that "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" citation. Leon Russell wrote "This Masquerade" to be a jazz standard, giving George Benson a potent vehicle for his hip guitar and hipper vocals. Harris and Mullens translate this to the piano-guitar quartet seamlessly, demonstrating, in the meantime, Harris' grand command of dynamics.

Harris is a woefully underrated performer whose entire recorded library is excellent. These sides recorded four years prior to his death show Harris in complete command and provide a good starting place for those interested in blues- based jazz.

Track Listing

Sweet Georgia Brown; Meditation; That's All; Lady Be Good; This Masquerade; Georgia on My Mind.

Personnel

Gene Harris: piano; Jim Mullen: guitar; Andrew Cleyndert: bass; Martin Drew: drums.

Album information

Title: Another Night In London | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Resonance Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.