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Lafayette Harris, Jr.

Lafayette Harris’s accomplishments speak for themselves. Known as the “go to” pianist by other musicians and band leaders, in the last year alone, Lafayette has performed on Broadway with the THE COLOR PURPLE, toured Europe with Ernestine Anderson, played the wedding for the daughter of ABC “World News Tonight” host, Charlie Gibson and helped raise money for children with cancer in Columbus, OH. Alongside these have been Lafayette’s regular appearances at New York’s Blue Note and weekly open mic session that he hosts at the historic Lenox Lounge in Harlem, widely regarded as the “best vocal jam session” in the city by New York’s weekly listing guides. In between all this, Lafayette has managed to record two new albums in the last year �" TRIO TALK, a jazz trio outing and a contemporary funk/fusion project, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

However, before the A-list musician lifestyle, Lafayette’s formative years were spent in Baltimore, laying the foundation to his craft at church and in private tutelage. By the time he hit his teens Lafayette was a regular on the local Top 40 scene, playing in bands that covered all the classic R&B and funk of the day by acts such as the Ohio Players, Parliament/Funkadelic, the Gap Band and more. However, Lafayette’s heart was very much rooted in jazz and his real hero was fellow Baltimore native Eubie Blake. After hearing Blake play Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” Lafayette was determined to perfect it. He augmented his live work with hard study, receiving a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory and then going on to study with master pianist Kenny Barron at Rutgers University in NJ, where he earned a Masters in Jazz Performance.

Moving to New York in the mid 80’s Lafayette was swept into the intense musical whirlpool that was the Big Apple live scene at that time. Working in well established clubs like the Blue Note, Sweet Basil, and Fat Tuesday’s, the young musician soon garnered a reputation for himself as a name to watch. That reputation earned Lafayette a record deal with Muse Records, resulting in his debut album, aptly titled “Lafayette Is Here,” featuring then young lions, Terell Stafford (trumpet), Don Braden (tenor saxophone) and rhythm section-mates Lonnie Plaxico (bass) and Cindy Blackman (drums). A second Muse recording, “Happy Together,” starred The Lafayette Harris Trio plus Melba Moore.

By the early 90’s Lafayette had also become a regular on the European jazz festival circuit, playing alongside the likes of trombonists Slide Hampton and John Gordon and the vocalist Barbara Morrison. Also during this period his former teacher Kenny Barron referred him to master drummer Max Roach. This new relationship resulted in almost 10 years of touring and collaborating with the legendary drummer, prompting him to describe Lafayette as a “phenomenal new voice on the music scene today.”

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Album Review

Lafayette Harris Jr.: Swingin' Up in Harlem

Read "Swingin' Up in Harlem" reviewed by Jack Bowers


It would cost top dollar to see and hear jazz musicians as busy and talented as pianist Lafayette Harris Jr., bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash up-close and personal. On Harris' new album, Swingin' Up in Harlem, the trio cannot be seen but can definitely be heard and appreciated, which is the next best thing. The session was recorded in February 2022 at the celebrated Rudy van Gelder studio in New Jersey, which is all that ...

6
Album Review

Lafayette Harris, Jr.: Bend To The Light

Read "Bend To The Light" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


While art often takes cues from life, and life certainly offers up its fair share of trials, tribulations, and dark spells, pianist Lafayette Harris, Jr. prefers to emphasize the positive while pouring existential thought into his music. On Bend To The Light--the seventh offering from Harris over the past twenty-plus years--hope, happiness, and positive vibes dominate. He delivers uplifting originals that point to his past and present, investigates the work of artists as different as pop-soul crooner ...

207
Album Review

Lafayette Harris,Jr.: In The Middle of the Night

Read "In The Middle of the Night" reviewed by Michael P. Gladstone


In The Middle Of The Night is pianist Lafayette Harris' first funk and contemporary jazz album (e.g. smooth or urban jazz). That is exactly why I approached this disc with such trepidation, having positive memories of his first albums on Muse in the early 1990s. His debut, Lafayette is Here (Muse, 1993) was a fine date with Don Braden, Terell Stafford, Lonnie Plaxico and Cindy Blackman and the follow-up Happy Together (Muse, 1996) was a trio date with singer Melba ...

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Take Five With...

Take Five With Lafayette Harris, Jr.

Read "Take Five With Lafayette Harris, Jr." reviewed by AAJ Staff


Meet Lafayette Harris, Jr.: Lafayette Harris accomplishments speak for themselves. Known as the go to pianist by other musicians and band leaders, in the last year alone, Lafayette has performed on Broadway with the The Color Purple, toured Europe with Ernestine Anderson, played the wedding for the daughter of ABC World News Tonight host, Charlie Gibson, and helped raise money for children with cancer in Columbus, OH.Alongside these have been Lafayettes regular appearances at New Yorks Blue Note ...

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