Born: June 16, 1946 Primary Instrument: Trumpet
Praised by Newsweek for his pure melodic genius, Tom Harrell is widely recognized as one of the most creative and uncompromising jazz instrumentalists and composers of our time. Even with a discography of over 260 recordings and a career that spans more than four decades, Harrell has managed to stay fresh and current as he continues to actively record and tour around the world. He is a frequent winner in Down Beat and Jazz Times magazines' Critics and Readers Polls and a Grammy nominee. Harrell is also a Trumpeter of the Year nominee for the 2012 Jazz Journalists Association Awards. His warm, burnished sound on the trumpet and the flugelhorn, and the unparalleled harmonic and rhythmic sophistication in his playing and writing, have earned Harrell his place as a jazz icon to aspiring musicians and devoted fans alike. Following the success of his first four albums with the current members of his quintet - a remarkably cohesive unit that includes tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, pianist Danny Grissett, drummer Johnathan Blake, and his bassist of 13 years, Ugonna Okegwo, Harrell’s latest quintet offering, NUMBER FIVE, was released in May 2012. The quintet's previous albums, THE TIME OF THE SUN (2011), ROMAN NIGHTS (2010), PRANA DANCE (2009) and LIGHT ON (2007), received wide critical acclaim and won SESAC awards four years in a row for topping the radio charts in the U.S. In contrast to his signature recordings during the RCA/BMG years (1996 - 2003) where much of his focus was on projects involving large ensembles, the latest albums on Highnote demonstrate Harrell's skills as a leader of a smaller unit that calls to mind the energy and rapport of Art Blakey’s and Horace Silver’s bands. The sheer joy of playing Harrell's music with one another is evident from each member of the quintet. The writing on these recordings is no less of an achievement than his work for the orchestra or the big band. The trumpeter-composer deftly weaves complex harmonies together with daring rhythmic concepts and unforgettable melodies while utilizing the available colors to full effect. Harrell's music is at once intelligent, soulful, fresh and accessible. Harrell divides his time between writing projects, live performances, and recordings, and actively tours with his quintet around the world. Recent television broadcasts of concerts include: San Javier Jazz Festival in Spain; Viersen Jazz Festival in Germany; Red Sea Jazz Festival in Israel; Jazz a Liege in Belgium; and Chivas Jazz Festival in Brazil. Harrell was featured as the Artist in Residence at the Barga Jazz Festival (August 2009) and Vicenza Jazz Festival (May 2009). At the latter festival he performed duo, quintet and big band concerts over several days. Harrell also performed music from his WISE CHILDREN and PARADISE albums with the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra at Traumzeit Festival (July 2009) and with the Yakima Symphony Orchestra at the Seasons Music Festival (October 2010). In the spring of that year, Harrell reunited with the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw as guest soloist and arranger for a tour in the Netherlands, after their successful collaboration at the Concertgebouw in July of 2009. Harrell toured extensively in July and August of 2011 with his quintet, in support of the release of THE TIME OF THE SUN. 2011 also marked the debut of the Tom Harrell Chamber Ensemble. At the Blue Note Jazz Festival in New York, Harrell premiered his latest body of work – arrangements of pieces by Debussy and Ravel as well as his own compositions written specifically for the ensemble consisting of trumpet, flute, soprano and tenor saxophones, violin, cello, piano, guitar, bass, and drums. The Tom Harrell Chamber Ensemble was featured on PBS’ Soundtracks earlier this year. A graduate of Stanford University with a degree in music composition, Harrell is a prolific composer and arranger. Carlos Santana, Cold Blood, Azteca, Vince Guaraldi, Hank Jones, Kenny Barron, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Danish Radio Big Band, WDR Big Band, Brussels Jazz Orchestra, Metropole Orchestra and Arturo O'Farrill & the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra are among the many who have recorded or performed his work. Harrell's composition and arrangement, “Humility,” was recorded for the latter's 2008 release, which just won a Grammy for the Best Latin Jazz Album. Some of Harrell's notable RCA/BMG recordings include WISE CHILDREN, a project in which he combines woodwinds, brass, horns, strings, guitars, percussion and the vocals of Cassandra Wilson, Dianne Reeves, Jane Monheit and Claudia Acuna with his quintet; PARADISE and THE ART OF RHYTHM, both of which feature chamber groups with strings; and his big band project, TIME'S MIRROR. In addition to the 26 albums and thousands of concerts worldwide as a leader, Harrell has worked with important figures in jazz history including Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Dizzie Gillespie, Horace Silver, Bill Evans, Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Phil Woods, Lee Konitz, Sam Jones (with whom he briefly co-led a big band in the 70s), Jim Hall, Charlie Haden and with contemporaries such as Joe Lovano and Charles McPherson. In 2006, Harrell was awarded a Chamber Music America grant with which he composed and performed new pieces for trumpet and piano. He also wrote symphony orchestra arrangements for the French Orchestre National de Lorraine and the vocalist Elisabeth Kontomanou for a live recording album released in 2009, SIREN SONG.
A brilliant trumpeter, flugelhornist and composer. --Whitney Balliett, The New Yorker
There is no one in jazz today writing with more intelligent, depth and heart than Tom Harrell. --Bill Milkowski, JazzTimes
The premier trumpeter of his generation. --David Hajdu, Entertainment Weekly
A master of melody. --Tom Masland, Newsweek
One of the top trumpeters in jazz for the past two decades and one of the musics most prolific and gifted composers. --Joe Cooper, New York Observer
He is that rare improviser who never resorts to cliche, a talent who seems to have an underground reserve of melody. --Tom Moon, Musician
Roman Nights (Highnote)
Prana Dance (Highnote)
Light On (Highnote)
Wise Children (BMG/Arista)
Paradise (BMG/Bluebird)
Time's Mirror (RCA)
The Art of Rhythm (RCA)
Labyrinth (RCA)
Upswing (Chesky)
Passages (Chesky)
Visions (Contemporary)
Form (Contemporary)
Sail Away (Contemporary)
Stories (Contemporary)
Sail Away-Live in Paris
Moon Alley
Open Air
Play of Light
Aurora
Moon and Sand
Sundance (Contemporary)
Humanity
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