Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Stefon Harris: The Grand Unification Theory

415

Stefon Harris: The Grand Unification Theory

By

View read count
Stefon Harris: The Grand Unification Theory
Writing from a physical as well as philosophical viewpoint, Stefon Harris has developed his suite for 12 jazz artists into an exciting adventure about life and death, and what goes on in between. It's all there: the big bang theory, the pleasures of life, the inevitable tragedies, mourning, afterlife, rebirth, and tribute. The leader's vibraphone and marimba provide searing timbres, while his ensemble colors gently. The suite builds and ebbs in order to depict changes in mood. Harris' cohesive ensemble mirrors the physical universe, with its constant motion—much of it in wide-open harmony—and subtle changes in direction. Soloists expound upon each theme without unlocking any clear-cut secrets of the universe. Flutist Anne Drummond brings the suite around full-circle with several passionate episodes. Piano, tenor saxophone, trombone, trumpet and vibraphone improvise apart, as if they're telling stories that require interaction. It's the beauty of improvised music: interpretation belongs to the listener. Harris has created a masterpiece. He and his twelve improvisers provide theories; the rest is for us to decipher through study. Audio samples, including two movements from this ambitious suite, can be found at the

Track Listing

Prologue; The Birth of Time; Velvet Couch; Transition; Corridor of Elusive Dreams; Escape to Quiet Desperation; Song of the Whispering Banshee; March of the Angels; The Mystic Messenger; Rebirth; The Grand Unification Theory; Intro Epilogue; Epilogue.

Personnel

Stefon Harris
vibraphone

Stefon Harris- vibraphone, marimba; Xavier Davis- piano; Tarus Mateen Kinch- bass; Terreon Gully- drums; Anne Drummond- flute; Mark Vinci- clarinet; Tim Warfield- tenor saxophone; Derrick Gardner- trumpet; Steve Turre- trombone, shells; Douglas Purviance- bass trombone; Myles Weinstein- classical percussion; Khalil Bell- African percussion.

Album information

Title: The Grand Unification Theory | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Blue Note Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.