Upcoming Shows

Awards

New Awards

Joel Harrison was awarded a New York State Council on the Arts grant and a Jerome Foundation grant for a new chamber music work for the group Mosaic, and a Chamber Music America grant for two future performances of the Doris Duke commission Vox Americana.

Percussive Arts Society Award

Joel Harrison’s composition for solo marimba, Fear of Silence, was recently awarded first prize in an international competition sponsored by the Percussive Arts Society. Recording and score available. Contact Joel Harrison for info.
Fear of Silence (MP3 audio sample)

Sample MP3s:
    American Babylon
    Blue Ghosts of Bourbon Street
    You Bring the Rain
Full Track MP3:
    You Bring the Rain

Guitarist Joel Harrison has a new Highnote recording released in April 2007. This recording was commissioned by the French American Jazz Exchange and Chamber Music America and includes French/Vietnamese guitarist Nguyên Lê, and saxophonist David Binney. As with all Harrison’s music the compositions have a wide stylistic reach — the focus for this recording is the sonic world of two guitars: Harrison, Lê (as well as Binney) all share a passion for the crossroads of jazz, rock, Indian, and African music where lyricism meets noise, Indian raga meets jazz harmony, and the after effects of electric Miles meets Messiaen and the Middle East.

About the new release: Harbor

“The CD plays out like a suite, tunes related by daring and depth... an impressive composer”
     — Jim Macnie: Village Voice

“A fascinating modern fusion of eastern and western tonalities.”
     — Nate Chinen: NY Times

More info:
Harbor: details
HighNote Records
Dave Binney

Read the review of Harbor from All About Jazz.

Harrison on Harrison

Sample MP3:

Here Comes the Sun

“This is the music of the future.”
   — Irish Times

Audio samples and more details

Joel Harrison's Harrison on Harrison CD is now available at CDBaby: http://cdbaby.com/cd/joelharrison

So Long 2nd Street
Once again Harrison and Free Country II travel along the seams of Jazz, Country, Blues, and Spirituals, using country classics, hymns, and folk tunes as a gateway to creative music making. Harrison has included his own compositions on this release, side by side with gems by Merle Haggard, Jimmy Webb, the Stanley Brothers, as well as timeless traditional tunes. Featuring Dave Binney.
Audio samples and more details.

Transience
Compositions for Jazz Sextet
reveals fiery new compositions and intense musicianship.
Audio samples and more details.

Free Country
is a collection of old Country and Appalachian tunes arranged in unusual, even radical, ways. Simply put, this body of work is my sonic view of the experiment known as America — not the billboard, but the underbelly.

Free Song (MP3):    I Walk the Line

Free Country CD voted #29 in Jazz Times Critics Poll, Best of 2003

Audio samples and more details.

3+3=7
“A colorful, multi-textured jazz blend, layered with elements of rock, world music, avant-garde and new classical music. Band members ramrod and muse, bash and romance, grate and croon.”
– Dan Oullete: Downbeat
Audio samples and more details.

Range of Motion
Compositions for Jazz Octet
“Blurs the lines between the historical categories of jazz...Intense, moody stuff that will lose jazz lovers lacking at least a decade of refining.”
– Dave McElfresh: Jazz Now
Audio samples and more details.

Film Music
Composition in a variety of styles: urban, funk southern, horror, goofy, dark, drama, voyager, sad, edgy...
Audio samples and more details.