Barry Harris Hits the Right Notes at Annual Kwanzaa
Concert
BY JIM GALLERT
At
the Black Working Concerns group's 15th annual Kwanzaa concert
on December 23, pianist Barry Harris played two sets of beautiful,
swinging jazz to a near-capacity audience. Harris, a high school friend
of BWC's James Robinson, has been the centerpiece of the concerts
since their inception.
Accompanied by bassist David Rosen and drummer Wendell
Robinson, Harris worked his way through various jazz standards including
"Just One Of Those Things," taken at a blistering tempo, and
a soulful "Ruby My Dear." Harris's arpeggios were clean
and crisp and his touch as sure and strong as ever. His sense of swing
is unerring, and the strength and clarity of Harris's playing molded
the three musicians into a swinging trio. This year's concert was
particularly special for Barry; the loss of Tommy Flanagan and Harold
McKinney touched him deeply. He was in a reflective mood and some of
his comments were tinged with sadness but his sense of humor surfaced
frequently. Regardless of his New Jersey address, Barry Harris is a
Detroiter first and foremost, and his local appearances are sprinkled
with stories of past gigs and glories while he was living in Detroit.
Saxophonist Donald Walden joined his friend and
mentor near the end of the second set for "Epistrophy" and
"Round Midnight," and they created one of the most moving
performances of the latter I've ever heard. Walden's presence
had a buoyant effect upon Harris, who joked that Walden was playing
so well, people might think it was Walden's gig. If in future they
shared the same stage it would be billed as Barry Harris and Donald
Walden, not the other way around, and Donald should remember that!
Harris closed his second set with "Mandela,"
his signature tune that invites audience participation, and seemingly
everybody present knew the handclaps and vocal routine.
All in all, the concert was a wonderful homecoming
by the Dean of Detroit jazz piano.
I N - T H I S - I S S U E :
1. RECORD REVIEWS 2. U-M
JAZZ FEST
3. WEMU PROGRAMMING 4. NEW
YEARS EVE
5. NOZERO / MICHAELS 6. SEMJA
CHRISTMAS
7. BOPO CUTS 8. BARRY
HARRIS
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