Bruce Harris - Soundview (June 4 via Cellar Music Group)

Celebrated Trumpeter Bruce Harris Announces the Release of His Latest Quartet Album, Soundview, Out June 4, 2021 On Cellar Music Group

Cellar Music Group is thrilled to announce the release of Soundview, the latest studio album from trumpeter, composer and educator Bruce Harris and his A-list quartet of masterful musicians. Striking a personal note with Harris, as it speaks to his upbringing in the Bronx neighborhood of Soundview New York, this Jeremy Pelt-produced masterwork celebrates Harris’ ancestors and the architects of the Black American Songbook to which he is so fervently and passionately devoted. Joining Harris is Sullivan Fortner on piano, David Wong on bass, Aaron Kimmel on drums and rising star vocalist Samara Joy, who guests on two tracks. This release marks the first of several collaborative efforts between Cellar Music and Pelt; an initiative which is geared toward showcasing the voices of Black artists. Keeping in line with Soundview’s theme, a donation has been made on behalf of Bruce Harris to the Bronx Charter School of the Arts in conjunction with this release.

The bandleader remarks that “during the pandemic I looked further and got more into the history of Black people in America. It was a time to learn and reflect. In gratitude, I wanted to pay tribute to all of the African American creators of this music.” All but one of the nine tunes on Soundview were written by Black architects of this music, who all happened to live and thrive in Harris’ birthplace of NYC. A testament to the longevity and vivacity of the artform, Harris’ music harkens back to the spirit of his musical ancestors while remaining an innovative and captivating new work.

This iteration of the Bruce Harris Quartet sees its recording debut with Soundview, however, the deep personal connections within this outfit are made evident in the group’s stellar interplay. Harris first met fellow New Yorker David Wong in the late 1990s when the two players were in the same All City and All State jazz bands. From there, a fruitful collaboration took shape. Since, Wong has gone on to play with the likes of Roy Haynes and Jimmy Heath. Harris has worked extensively with drummer Aaron Kimmel for the past decade, who he dubs “one of the greats here in New York; a young master,” and one of his “top five” in the city. Soundview marks the first collaboration between Harris and pianist Sullivan Fortner whom Harris has long admired.

Harris reflects that his relationship with Soundview’s famed album producer Jeremy Pelt began many years ago when Harris was a college student. Pelt’s words of encouragement for Harris left an impact on him. “We’re all in the rat race here. There’s something for you – just get in,” he said. Over the years, Pelt has become a sort of big brother to Harris. 

Upon producing this message-driven release, Pelt remarks that “…contrary to opinion, Jazz has always reflected the times. Sadly again, we are bearing witness to the racial injustice in the United States, wherein Black people’s lives are constantly at risk, particularly by those sworn to protect its citizens. As harrowing as this is, there seems to be a dialog in which Black voices are finally being heard. The Cellar Music Group recognizes that Jazz is not only a music native to America, but that the progenitors of this music are the very lives that are being threatened daily.” Pelt is pleased to bring this conversation to the fore with Harris’ release. 

Soundview is full of several bright moments. As Harris began writing the title track, he visualized scenes of where he was from. “I almost feel like the chords tell the story of my upbringing; a little dark in the beginning, some conflict worked through in bridge, and a new height harmonically resolving in a beautiful major chord,” he says. It is no mistake that the rhythm of the piece is a mambo rhythm, which Harris dubbed ‘the underlying clave of the Bronx’. ”Although it was not a place filled with privilege and opportunity, Soundview was and is rich in artistic excellence and indomitable spirit.” The piece begins with an ostinato from Wong followed by some rhythmic vamping by the rhythmic section, stating the clave of the composition. This sets the stage for Harris to take it by storm with fiery, soulful melodic musings. The recording features masterful improvisations from Harris and Wong.

Another highlight, “Bird of Red and Gold”, features the gifted Samara Joy on vocals. A fellow Bronx native and former student of Harris’, Samara lends her rich dulcet tones to this composition written by jazz luminary and renowned educator Barry Harris. The bandleader notes that Barry Harris was instrumental in his own musical upbringing and that of pianist Sullivan Fortner’s, and Samara is a current student of his. The powerful musical connection between these players is informed by the fact that all of the players are subscribers to Barry Harris’s unique and powerful conceptions of jazz harmony. 

“Saucer Eyes” is a composition by the late jazz luminary Randy Weston who Harris fondly remembers spending a short time with while on tour in Oman. The track has become a live performance staple for Harris. In the spirit of lineage, Harris is thrilled to now see younger generations of musicians performing this Weston piece more frequently. The melody is delivered here with a gleeful energy. Harris and Fortner soar over the changes in their solos conjuring Weston’s immense spirit. 

With the release of Soundview, Bruce Harris has surely earned his reputation as one of the most important and emerging voices in jazz today. Soundview will be available everywhere on June 4, 2021. 

1. Soundview (Bruce Harris)

2. Satellite (G.Gryce / SECOND FLOOR MUSIC)

3. Maybe It’s Hazy (Bruce Harris)

4. If You Were Mine (J. Mercer, M Malneck / BOURNE CO.)

5. Hank’s Prank (H. Mobley /  EMI UNART CATALOG INC.)

6. You’re Lucky To Me (E. Blake, A. Razaf / SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO INC./RAZAF MUSIC)

7. Ellington Suite (arr. Andy Farber)

8. Bird Of Red and Gold (Barry Harris)

9. Saucer Eyes (R. Weston / MAYFLOWER MUSIC CORP.)

BRUCE HARRIS trumpet

SULLIVAN FORTNER piano

DAVID WONG bass

AARON KIMMEL drums

SAMARA JOY voice

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Clovis Nicolas - Freedom Suite Ensuite (feat. Kenny Washington) SUNNYSIDE RECORDS January 19, 2018

The concept of freedom in music relates to many things. Bassist/composer Clovis Nicolas didn’t eschew formal jazz harmony and rhythm in the search for freedom but found a measure of added purpose and space for his bass playing in a chord-less band format without piano or guitar. Freedom Suite Ensuite is a recording of Nicolas’s efforts in this formation and a tribute to the musician who exemplifies playing free within a form, saxophone great Sonny Rollins.

Nicolas has been an important voice in the New York music scene since his arrival from Paris in the early 2000s. Having already established himself as a first-call bassist in Europe, he quickly garnered attention with many of the music’s most noted players, including Peter Bernstein, Jane Monheit, Frank Wess, Joe Magnarelli, Behn Gillece, and Samora Pinderhughes. 

The concept behind Freedom Suite Ensuite came from a succession of regular gigs that Nicolas participated in with a two saxophone, chord-less quartet. He began to find a new identity for his bass within this assemblage, including an increased influence on the music’s direction, expanded range of expression and an added focus on soloing. There were also many examples of similar ensembles whose recordings began to inspire his conception more and more, including John Coltrane and Don Cherry’s Avant Garde, Ron Carter’s Etudes and Ben Wolfe’s 13 Sketches. 

The sound identities of these ensembles were definitely in Nicolas’ s head as he chose who he would record with. Drummer Kenny Washington was a faculty member at Juilliard while Nicolas attended; Washington had a tremendous impact on Nicolas when the two played together. Nicolas’s appreciation for Washington’s breadth and taste were echoed by the master drummer, who recommended the bassist to many. Tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart has been playing with Nicolas since the bassist’s arrival in New York and proves to be an excellent foil and soloist, who is incredibly articulate within the changes. The trumpet duty is split between the introspective Brandon Lee, a supportive bandmate and focused soloist, and the fiery Bruce Harris, a soulful player suited for the recording’s blues and standard tunes.

Nicolas wanted to achieve a few things with the recording. He wanted to attempt a new version of Sonny Rollins’ s incredible “Freedom Suite,” a piece that has been done almost exclusively by saxophone. Here he wanted to add the trumpet to freshen up the piece in a respectful way. The “Suite” would be followed by the “Ensuite,” or in French, “afterwards,” the following program of original compositions and standards. 

The ensemble’s sound is established quickly on the easy-going “The 5:30 PM Dive Bar Rendezvous,” with its title and form emulating the quirkiness of Thad Jones, with a perfect ambiance for happy hour, featuring Harris on trumpet. Rollins’ s “Freedom Suite” is broken down into three parts, which provide different approaches to reorganization of the piece, separated by two “Interludes” without solos. The slightly angular blues of “Grant S” was written for the saxophonist by Nicolas and is a great soloing vehicle with some subtle changes in the harmonic form. The off kilter “Nichols and Nicolas” is inspired by Herbie Nichols’ s idiosyncratic style, the melody springing to Nicolas in an hour while the changes took nearly a month within an unusual AABC form. 

The bouncy “You or Me?” is a contrafact of the Irving Berlin standard “The Best Thing for You (Would Be Me),” while Nicolas’s “Dark and Stormy” is a noir inspired waltz, the composer imagining Montmartre in the rain. A dynamic take on Kay Swift’s “Fine and Dandy” injects energy into the program with some brilliant solos from Stewart, Harris and Washington. The bassist’s “Speak a Gentle Word” (the title is taken from Oscar Wilde’s “Ballad of Reading Gaol”) traverses three sections with separate tonal identities with lyrical solos from Stewart and Lee. The program concludes with Nicolas’ s beautifully played solo rendition of Richard Rodgers’s “Little Girl Blue.” 

Progress in jazz music has come through both addition and subtraction. While Clovis Nicolas retained the elements of formal jazz harmony, his experiments with removing piano and guitar from his ensembles enabled a different side of his playing to emerge. Freedom Suite Ensuite encapsulates all of the elements of Nicolas’s fascination with this system, from inspiration, to composition and to presentation.

1. The 5:30 PM Dive Bar Rendezvous

2. Freedom Suite Part I

3. Interlude

4. Freedom Suite Part II

5. Interlude

6. Freedom Suite Part III

7. Grant S

8. Nichols and Nicolas

9. You or Me? 04:29

10. Dark and Stormy

11. Fine and Dandy

12. Speak a Gentle Word

13. Little Girl Blue

Clovis Nicolas - bass

Brandon Lee - trumpet (except 1 & 11)

Bruce Harris - trumpet (on 1 & 11)

Grant Stewart - tenor saxophone

Kenny Washington - drums

NYC CD Release Gig @ Minton's on Feb. 8th!

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