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Later this month New York based vocalist Allan Harris will return to Europe for a number of festival performances and club dates. Harris recently released his latest album, a tribute to vocalist Eddie Jefferson, titled simply “The Genius of Eddie Jefferson” on the new label Resilience Music Alliance.
Over the past 20 years, Harris has steadily developed his reputation as one of the finest jazz vocalists of his era. Brooklyn-born and Harlem-based, he has forged his credentials through his ten previous albums, covering a broad range of contexts, all netted together within the rich territory of the jazz tradition. In addition to his recordings, he has performed on a worldwide stage that has taken him to prestigious international festivals and halls throughout the USA, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Having previously paid homage to the songs of Billy Strayhorn and Nat King Cole, the music of Eddie Jefferson might not seem the ideal match for a classic romantic crooner like Allan Harris. Until embarking on the project that became The Genius of Eddie Jefferson, Harris would have agreed wholeheartedly with that assessment. “In my wildest dreams I never imagined I’d tackle Eddie Jefferson’s material,” he admits. “But once I started to sit down with his material and delve into what he was singing, it blew all of my stereotypes and prejudices out the window. How wrong I had been over the years not to give this incredible genius credit.”
You can catch Allen live in Europe later this month. Tour dates are as follows.
July 13 – Canarias Jazz Festival, Tenerife, Spain
July 14 – Jazz Open, Stuttgart, Germany
July 15 – Weinscheune, Kodersdorf, Germany
July 17 – Edinburgh Jazz Festival, UK
July 18 – Sunside/Sunset, Paris
July 21 – Jazz on the Dnieper, Ukraine
Allan Harris’s tribute to Eddie Jefferson was released on May 4 and can be found at all the usual places. More information on the project can be found at the Resilience Music Alliance website.
You can find out more about Allan Harris and preview the album at his website.
Editors Note: Stay tuned for a review of “The Genius of Eddie Jefferson” to be published soon on Jazz In Europe.
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Last modified: July 18, 2018
