Jazz Articles about Craig Harris

About Craig Harris

Album Review

There should be no doubt of David Murray's position. Since the death of Eddie Harris, he is the finest tenor saxophonist in jazz, arguably one of the most prolific bandleaders in the modern age. He stands among a rare few reedmen working to redefine the sonic quality of their instrument. Looking back at any of Murray's work, he is defined by a highly ambitious, omnitraditional palette and a blaring emotionalism that brings his searing intellect right home. He is a ...

Album Review

Sun Ra: Lights on a Satellite: Live At The left Bank

Read "Lights on a Satellite: Live At The left Bank" reviewed by Ian Patterson

by Ian Patterson
December 25, 2024

Sun Ra aficionados seem to possess an insatiable appetite for archival recordings of the ever-evolving ensembles of the pianist, composer and bandleader. Born Helman Poole Blount, in Alabama, in 1914, Ra released possibly as many as 200 albums during his lifetime, including extremely limited pressings with hand-painted covers that he sold in person. You might think such a vast and collectable discography would be treasure-trove enough for even the most committed of Ra crate diggers, but no. Which brings us ...

Album Review

Sun Ra: Lights on a Satellite: Live At The left Bank

Read "Lights on a Satellite: Live At The left Bank" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
November 17, 2024

Sun Ra's 1978 performance at Baltimore's Left Bank Jazz Society ballroom had something for everyone. The great man and his Arkestra, along with singer June Tyson and dancers, performed jazz from its inception to what Ra predicted (correctly) as its future. This recording is the second unissued discovery from Zev Feldman, the “Jazz Detective," and it follows the sprawling At The Showcase: Live In Chicago 1976-1977 (Elemental Music, 2024). These years, the late 1970s, were an interesting time for Ra. ...

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Album Review

Craig Harris: Souls Within the Veil

Read "Souls Within the Veil" reviewed by Rex Butters

by Rex Butters
March 29, 2006

Craig Harris returns with an ambitious, fully-realized project composed to commemorate the centennial of W.E.B. Du Bois' The Souls of Black Folks. Recruiting ten of the strongest voices playing today, including Steve Coleman, Hamiet Bluiett, Oliver Lake and Don Byron, Harris creates a powerful suite recorded live over two CDs. Twelve years have elapsed since Harris' last recorded solo project, during which time he actively participated in numerous multimedia performance pieces as composer, performer, conceptualist, curator and artistic director. A ...