Allan Harris (born April 4, 1956) is a jazz vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter from

Harlem, New York Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

. Described as having a "formidable baritone with … husky edges and deep resonant low notes", and Harris has been called a protean talent. Harris is known for both his albums and his live performances. His album ''Convergence'' a collaboration with pianist Takana Miryamoto was critically praised, and his album ''Cross That River'' (2006) was widely covered for its perspective on issues of ethnicity in the American western expansion. He released an album in 2016 entitled ''Nobody's Gonna Love You Better''.WBGO Jazz 88.3FM
https://wbgo.org/radar/allan-harris-nobodys-gonna-love-you-better
, accessdate: September 30, 2016 Harris's album ''Cross That River'' was the subject of a 2006 story on the

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

program ''

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

'', which explored Harris's journey into the roles of African-Americans in the western expansion of the United States in the 19th century. Harris also has used ''Cross That River'' as a teaching tool in schools in New York, North Carolina. ''Cross That River'' is also a musical which had its debut at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2009. It received a residency grant from Chamber Music America and has been included in the Kennedy Center's Performing Arts Series (2008). In 2014 Allan Harris appeared in the music theatre show ''Cafe Society Swing'' by Alex Webb (musician) in a three-week run at

59E59 Theaters 59E59 Theaters is a curated rental venue located in New York City that consists of three theater spaces or stages. It shows both off-Broadway (in Theater A) and off-off-Broadway plays (in Theaters B and C). The complex is owned and operated by ...

in New York City with a cast including vocalists Charenee Wade and

Cyrille Aimée Cyrille Aimée (; born August 10, 1984) is a French jazz singer. Biography She grew up in the French town of Samois-sur-Seine, in Fontainebleau, France. Her father is French and her mother is from the Dominican Republic. She won the '' Montre ...

and an eight-piece band including bassist Mimi Jones. It attracted positive reviews including a Critic's Pick from ''The New York Times''.

Discography

* ''Setting the Standard'' (Love Productions Records, 1994) * ''It's a Wonderful World'' (

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...

, 1995) * ''Here Comes Allan Harris and the Metropole Orchestra'' (Mons, 1996) * ''The Music of

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

'' (Mons, 1999) with Claire Martin * ''Love Came: The Songs of Strayhorn'' (Love, 2001) * ''Cross That River'' (Love, 2006) * ''Nat King Cole: Long Live the King'' (Love, 2007) * ''Cry of the Thunderbird'' (Love, 2008) * ''Dedicated to You: Allan Harris Sings a

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

Christmas'' (Love, 2010) * ''Open Up Your Mind'' (Love, 2011) * ''Convergence'' (Love, 2012) with Takana Miryamoto * ''Black Bar Jukebox'' (Love, 2015) * ''Nobody's Gonna Love You Better: Black Bar Jukebox Redux'' (Love, 2016) * ''The Genius of

Eddie Jefferson Eddie Jefferson (August 3, 1918 – May 9, 1979) was an American jazz vocalist and lyricist. He is credited as an innovator of vocalese, a musical style in which lyrics are set to an instrumental composition or solo. Jefferson himself claims t ...

'' (Resilience, 2018) with Richie ColeAllan Harris, ''The Genius of Eddie Jefferson''
Review by Alex Henderson, ''

The New York City Jazz Record ''The New York City Jazz Record'' is a monthly New York City based publication that includes features, reviews and concert announcements regarding jazz music. It is available in print form (black and white hardcopy) as well as online at www.nycjazz ...

'', September 2018, Issue 197, page 28. Retrieved September 5, 2018. * ''Kate's Soulfood'' (Love, 2021)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Allan Living people Musicians from Brooklyn 1956 births

Discography

See also

References