Home » Jazz Musicians » Ric Harris

Ric Harris

Ric Harris has made a few changes to The Harris Group since last year. In his 2012 review, John Book hoped the “lineup will continue for awhile”, and the new CD, Errands, not only relies on two of them, vibraphonist Micah Rutschman and drummer Tom Haugen, but also adds a new bass player, Mason Cormie, who plays both electric and acoustic bass. The guests on this release, violinist Daniela Bisenius and flutist Jack Scott, help to define the tracks on which they appear. Finally, all of the compositions are originals by Harris that offer an aural picture of the world from places as far apart as the coast of South Carolina and the streets of Prague.

John M. Peters, believes The Harris Group “should appeal to non-jazz fans as much as it will to long term aficionados,” and this CD reaches that goal from two directions. First, all elements of the composition – the instruments chosen, the order in which they appear, the length of the solos, the interludes – define the music, not merely the improvisation. Second, a swing rhythm only defines two of the songs, while the other tracks vary from a waltz to blues to fusion to latin.

Melodies define the compositions of Ric Harris more than anything else. Whether it be the intensity of the title track or the relaxation found in a latin one, the songs stay with the listener through the melody more than anything else. As S. Victor Aaron stated last year in his review, the strength of Harris lies “in locating the goodness of a melody” through phrases that have an upbeat feel, and many of those things will be found this year on “Errands.”

Gear

Gibson ES-137 Fender Blues Junior Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Boss Compression/Sustainer CS-3, Super Chorus CH-1, Digital Delay DD-3


Tags

23
Take Five With...

Take Five With Ric Harris

Read "Take Five With Ric Harris" reviewed by Ric Harris


Meet Ric Harris: An article in Guitar Player magazine about the Old Town School of Folk Music caused me to leave North Carolina and move to Chicago. I caught Ira Sullivan and Joe Diorio at the Jazz Showcase one night and moved to Los Angeles to attend the Guitar Institute of Technology a few months later. I appeared in the Chicago area until 1991, at which time I retired and raised my children. Now that they are pursuing ...

Read more articles
1

Contest

Enter "The Harris Group - Choices" Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Enter "The Harris Group - Choices" Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Source: All About Jazz

All About Jazz members are invited to enter “The Harris Group - Choices“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on July 19th. Click here to enter the contest

(Following Ric Harris at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.)

Good luck! About The Harris Group and Choices While pursuing a goal, a person may find himself in a location he never considered a possibility. An article in Guitar Player magazine about the ...

"A dandy guitarist that finds his sweet spot somewhere between 60s Bluenote and fusion, with a soupcon of Wes thrown in for good measure, Harris and crew deliver a solid listening date that hovers above the background music din." Chris Spector, midwestrecord.com

"Errands is an urbane and stylish work bristling With originality. It demonstrates a rare and successful combination of accessibility and ingenuity, and is a testament to Harris' proficiency as a composer, improviser and bandleader." Hrayr Atttarian, allaboutjazz.com

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Errands

Self Produced
2013

buy

Choices

Self Produced
0

buy

Errands

From: Errands
By Ric Harris

Paula's Waltz

From: Choices
By Ric Harris

Videos

Get more of a good thing!

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