Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Richard Harris: Shades of Blue

7

Richard Harris: Shades of Blue

By

Sign in to view read count
Richard Harris: Shades of Blue
Washington area trumpeter Richard Harris offers his third album as leader and follow up to his critically-acclaimed Songs from My Heart (Self-Produced, 2009) with the warm and mellow Shades of Blue containing a mixture of originals and uncommon standards presented in a light fashion. On this album, Harris strives to reproduce, as he states, "the lyrical West Cool jazz sound of the 50's" in an intimate and romantic setting.

Playing the trumpet, flugelhorn and doing some vocals, Harris surrounds himself with a modern sextet and one vocalist on several tracks and begins the music with the soft and somber "Deborah's Theme," a song taken from the film score of the movie "Once Upon A Time In America" featuring pianist Mark Kieswetter in accompaniment followed by adaptation of "O Mio Babbino Caro "Oh My Beloved Father," from the Italian opera by Giacomo Puccini, both of which highlight the leader's warm-toned horn and the solo works of guitarist Jake Reichbart as well as the pianist.

Vocalist Lori Lefevre Johnson enters the picture singing a beautiful version of "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" with Harris providing gentle support on a wonderful muted trumpet. LeFevre Johnson also appears on the Bob Thiele/George David Weiss standard "What A Wonderful World" and performs a vocal duet with Harris on the Levant/Heyman classic "Blame It On My Youth."

Guitarist Reichbart is featured in a pronounced role with some gorgeous work on Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo's beautiful piece "Concierto de Aranjuez," keeping with the light-textured theme of the recording. Also within this context, the jazz standard "Tenderly," the Gibb brother's pop tune "How Do You Mend A Broken Heart" (featuring the leader on vocals) and the original, "Jackson's Love" are all presented as soft balladic tunes.

All is not delicate and cushy however, as Harris and tenor saxophonist Ben Jannson will attest to on the very upbeat and perky "Dr. Funkenstein's Rx" where the two men let it all hang out on marvelous solo moments that also feature bassist Kurt Krahnke and the drumming prowess of Scott Kretzer. A proponent of the lighter side of the jazz idiom, trumpeter Richard Harris continues his love affair with ballads and heart-felt love songs on the sensuous and tender Shades of Blue, the perfect musical vehicle for an introspective, relaxing and enjoyable personal moments.

Track Listing

Deborah's Theme; O Mio Babbino Caro "Oh My Beautiful Father"; Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most; A Thousand Kisses Deep; Dr. Funkenstein's Rx; Tenderly; How Do You Mend A Broken Heart; Jackson's Love; Concierto de Aranjuez; Blame It On My Youth; What A Wonderful World.

Personnel

Richard Harris: trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals; Mark Kieswetter: piano, electric piano, organ; Lori LeFevre: vocals; Ben Jannson: tenor saxophone; Jake Reichbart: acoustic guitar, electric guitar; Kurt Krahnke: acoustic bass, electric bass; Scott Kretzer: drums.

Album information

Title: Shades of Blue | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Self Produced

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.