Lafayette Harris Trio June 12, 2008

Lafayette Harriss accomplishments speak for themselves. Known as the go to pianist by other musicians and band leaders, in the last year alone, Lafayette has performed on Broadway with the THE COLOR PURPLE, toured Europe with Ernestine Anderson, played the wedding for the daughter of ABC World News Tonight host, Charlie Gibson and helped raise money for children with cancer in Columbus, OH. Alongside these have been Lafayettes regular appearances at New Yorks Blue Note and weekly open mic session that he hosts at the historic Lenox Lounge in Harlem, widely regarded as the best vocal jam session in the city by New Yorks weekly listing guides. In between all this, Lafayette has managed to record two new albums in the last year TRIO TALK, a jazz trio outing and a contemporary funk/fusion project, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

However, before the A-list musician lifestyle, Lafayettes formative years were spent in Baltimore, laying the foundation to his craft at church and in private tutelage. By the time he hit his teens Lafayette was a regular on the local Top 40 scene, playing in bands that covered all the classic R&B and funk of the day by acts such as the Ohio Players, Parliament/Funkadelic, the Gap Band and more. However, Lafayettes heart was very much rooted in jazz and his real hero was fellow Baltimore native Eubie Blake. After hearing Blake play Scott Joplins Maple Leaf Rag Lafayette was determined to perfect it. He augmented his live work with hard study, receiving a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory and then going on to study with master pianist Kenny Barron at Rutgers University in NJ, where he earned a Masters in Jazz Performance.

Moving to New York in the mid 80s Lafayette was swept into the intense musical whirlpool that was the Big Apple live scene at that time. Working in well established clubs like the Blue Note, Sweet Basil, and Fat Tuesdays, the young musician soon garnered a reputation for himself as a name to watch. That reputation earned Lafayette a record deal with Muse Records, resulting in his debut album, aptly titled Lafayette Is Here, featuring then young lions, Terell Stafford (trumpet), Don Braden (tenor saxophone) and rhythm section-mates Lonnie Plaxico (bass) and Cindy Blackman (drums). A second Muse recording, Happy Together, starred The Lafayette Harris Trio plus Melba Moore.

By the early 90s Lafayette had also become a regular on the European jazz festival circuit, playing alongside the likes of trombonists Slide Hampton and John Gordon and the vocalist Barbara Morrison. Also during this period his former teacher Kenny Barron referred him to master drummer Max Roach. This new relationship resulted in almost 10 years of touring and collaborating with the legendary drummer, prompting him to describe Lafayette as a phenomenal new voice on the music scene today.

By the early 90s Lafayette had also become a regular on the European jazz festival circuit, playing alongside the likes of trombonists Slide Hampton and John Gordon and the vocalist Barbara Morrison. Also during this period his former teacher Kenny Barron referred him to master drummer Max Roach. This new relationship resulted in almost 10 years of touring and collaborating with the legendary drummer, prompting him to describe Lafayette as a phenomenal new voice on the music scene today.

During the Bring In 'Da Noise period, Lafayette was invited to play at a fundraiser for underprivileged children at the home of the late news anchor, Peter Jennings. The band comprised Illinois Jacquet, Percy Heath, Max Roach and Wynton Marsalis. Lafayettes debut release on his own label, Airmen Records, Lafayette Is HereSolo was voted one of the best recordings of 1998 by Cadence Magazine.

Event submitted by Eventful.com on behalf of clmgarage.