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Charley Harrison

With the release of his first solo CD, KEEPING MY COMPOSURE, on C3 Records, composer, arranger and conductor Charley Harrison, is poised to join the ranks of the composer/ arranger/conductors that have helped chart the course of jazz.

A Chicago native, Harrison was appointed Director of the UCLA Jazz Orchestra in 2004, while still serving, since 1991, as Associate Director and guitarist for the eighteen-piece Chicago Jazz Orchestra. CJO is currently backing his CD of original material and jazz standards, with guest performances by vocalists Freddy Cole, Kurt Elling, Sara Gazarek and CJO’s Frieda Lee, guitarist Bobby Broom and pianist Cedar Walton, among others.

His multi-dimensional orchestral arrangements meld modern, classic swing, Latin and contemporary jazz elements. Last year, his adventurous interpretation of Gershwin’s RHAPSODY IN BLUE, won him a rave review in the Chicago Tribune, which stated, “Writing rhythms that press relentlessly forward, weaving New Orleans street beats and bebop- tinged passages…the last few bars…utterly unexpected, planted the piece firmly into the 21st Century.”

A graduate of Northwestern University, Charley has also attended Boston’s prestigious Berklee School of Music. Charley honed is composition skills in the advertising industry for diverse clients that included McDonald’s, the Chicago White Sox, Chuck E. Cheese and Bissell Vacuum Cleaners.

In 2000, composer/producer/jazz artist Marcus Miller recruited him to score THE TRUMPET OF THE SWAN for Sony/TriStar. The two then went on to collaborate on THE LADIES MAN for Paramount and ONE LOVE for Spyglass Entertainment. Charley also lent his transcription and orchestration talents to Miller’s 2002 Grammy award winning album M2. Recent highlights in the new millennium include scoring writer/director Steven Gary Banks’ comedy HEAD RUSH; orchestrating and conducting Kenny Burrell’s RALPH BUNCHE SUITE, an extended work for jazz orchestra with featured soloists; and contributing arrangements to FROM CHRISTMAS EVE TO CHRISTMAS MORN for Tony nominee Brian D’Arcy James.

A rare breed of composer, Charley Harrison, is equally skilled with a baton in front of an orchestra or behind a computer in a studio full of synthesizers. His music has been enjoyed on the silver screen, the TV screen, and featured in symphony halls and nightclubs, nationally and internationally.

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212
Album Review

Charley Harrison: Keeping My Composure

Read "Keeping My Composure" reviewed by Jim Santella


The guest artists on Keeping My Composure work with Jeff Lindberg's superb Chicago Jazz Orchestra to bring memorable big band themes to the fore, while Charley Harrison steps up for five selections with a comfortable rhythm guitar backbone that encourages swing. Hot solos from the band's sidemen keep things going strong, and the band's guests take it up a notch. Bobby Broom joins Harrison on “2 by 6 for a two-guitar adventure in which both weave a pleasant story in ...

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120

Recording

Charley Harrison's Keeping My Composure Climbs Jazz Charts

Charley Harrison's Keeping My Composure Climbs Jazz Charts

Source: All About Jazz

COMPOSER/ARRANGER/CONDUCTOR CHARLEY HARRISON KEEPING MY COMPOSURE BIG BAND CD RELEASE CLIMBS JAZZRADIO CHARTS West Hollywood, CA--Composer/arranger/conductor Charley Harrison's KEEPING MY COMPOSURE, released on c3 Records, is climbing the Jazz Week and CMJ Jazz Radio Charts. As of May 15th, the CD was #24 on the Jazz Week chart and as of May 1, #37 on the CMJ Jazz charts. The CD features the Chicago Jazz Orchestra with special guest artists Freddy Cole, Kurt Elling, Sara Gazarek, ...

64

Recording

Charley Harrison Releases new CD: Keeping My Composure

Charley Harrison Releases new CD: Keeping My Composure

Source: All About Jazz

COMPOSER/ARRANGER/CONDUCTOR CHARLEY HARRISON, KEEPING MY COMPOSURE NEW CD RELEASE ON C3 RECORDS

West Hollywood, CA...Composer/arranger/conductor Charley Harrison and C3 Records are pleased to announce the release of Keeping My Composure, a new CD featuring the Chicago Jazz Orchestra with special guest artists Freddy Cole, Kurt Elling, Sara Gazarek, Cedar Walton and Bobby Broom, among others. Selections from the eleven-song CD will be presented at the Pick-Staiger Concert Hall at Northwestern University in Chicago, at ...

91

Recording

Charley Harrison New CD: Keeping My Composure

Charley Harrison New CD: Keeping My Composure

Source: All About Jazz

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 5, 2005 CHARLEY HARRISON COMPOSER/ARRANGER AND CONDUCTOR ANNOUNCES PRODUCTION OF NEW CD, KEEPING MY COMPOSURE. Los Angeles, CA...Composer, arranger and conductor Charley Harrison is pleased to announce the production start of his new C3 Records CD, KEEPING MY COMPOSURE with the Chicago Jazz Orchestra. Special guest artists include vocalists Freddie Cole, Kurt Elling and Sara Gazarek. Instrumental soloists include Cedar Walton on piano and Bobby Broom on guitar. The eleven song CD of originals and standards ...

Primary Instrument

Composer / conductor

Location

Los Angeles

Willing to teach

Advanced only

Music

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