Biography: Joel Harrison
As guitarist, composer and vocalist, Joel Harrison occupies a musical space between many worlds. His medium is primarily jazz, but his music emanates from many sources: African and Indian, contemporary classical, blues and R&B all have a place in his unique voice. His all inclusive musical language has deep roots. He grew up in a time when artists as diverse as Miles Davis, The Band and the Country Gentleman might appear on the same bill. There were free format radio stations where stylistic collisions were common and performers like Jimi Hendrix and The Allman Brothers experimented with combining short songs with long, intricate instrumental escapades.Harrison graduated from Bard College with a bachelors in composition in 1980 and studied with Joan Tower. While living in the San Francisco area in the 1990’s Harrison recorded 3 CDs (on the 9 Winds, Koch, and Spirit Nectar labels), and organized tribute concerts to a number of great jazz artists including Jim Pepper and Jimmy Guiffre, in which artists such as Dewey Redman, Steve Adams, and Bob Moses performed. After moving to New York City in 1999, he continued his headlong rush into ever-inventive bands and projects, including Free Country, Harrison on Harrison, and Harbor. Harrison is best known for his composing and arranging skills, and has twice been selected as the winner of the Jazz Composer’s Alliance Julius Hemphill Composition Competition. He has been the recipient of numerous grants from Chamber Music America, Meet the Composer, the Cary Trust, NYSCA etc., and has been a guest of the MacDowell and VCCA artist colonies. 2003’s Free Country – featuring Norah Jones, Uri Caine and David Binney won critics’ awards in both the U.S. and Europe and was named by many critics as one of the best CDs of the year.
Harrison has written numerous film scores for HBO, A&E, and the History Channel and has performed with Dewey Redman, Marty Ehrlich, Adam Levy, Nels Cline, Jamey Haddad, Ben Wittman, Paul Hanson, Jen Chapin, Paul McCandless, David Liebman, Darol Anger, Mark Feldman, Uri Caine, and David Binney among others. He has performed around the world in festivals and clubs with: Joel Harrison Octet or Sextet (original instrumental jazz compositions); Free Country (radical renditions of old country and Appalachian music); Passing Train (pop/world/Americana songs); or Harrison on Harrison (re-composed improvisations of the music of George Harrision featuring Dave Liebman), Recent projects include his String Choir (string quartet and two guitars play music of Paul Motian). He just finished a new CD for Highnote Records entitled Harbor with internationally renowned guitarist Nguyên Lê, and just recorded his 60 minute chamber/jazz piece for double quartet entitled The Wheel.