Art Harris

• Born: March 04, 1927, Philadelphia, PA
• Active: '40s, '50s, '60s
• Genres: Jazz
• Instrument: French Horn
• Representative Albums: "New Jazz in Hi-Fi," "Modern Woodwind Expressions," "Jazz Goes to Post Graduate School"

Biography

Art Harris, a multi-instrumentalist, performed and recorded in the Dixieland style as well as coming up with a series of '50s albums that no less an expert than critic Leonard Feather described as being of "a quasi-jazz nature." Among these is Harris' attempt at a so-called "matcher" -- that's newsroom talk -- for jazz piano star Dave Brubeck's famed Jazz Goes to College promotion. Aiming quite a bit higher, Harris came up with Jazz Goes to Post Graduate School for the Kapp label in 1958. Nonetheless, or perhaps understandably, Harris seems best known for a song he co-wrote with a performer credited as both Jimmy Jay and Fred Jay, "What Am I Living For?" The latter song has been covered by dozens of artists from the pop, rock, and rhythm & blues realms, but a follow-up, "Where Do I Turn," attracted many less seekers.

A Philly native, Harris studied at Yale University in New Haven from 1947 through 1952, His activities as a professional musician had already begun by then, gigging as a pianist with Buddy Williams while still in Philly, then working with the Jeff Stoughton Dixieland Band in New Haven in the early '50s as well as starting his own piano trio. He came up with four albums in half as many years beginning in 1955, the first pair released by Epic with the aforementioned Kapp capping off the presentation. These ventures highlighted Harris' abilities as an arranger, his interests often focused on the woodwind section as well as one of his pet instruments, the French horn. Harris has also written arrangements for orchestras and musical theater productions. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide