Jerome Harris

Electric guitarist and bassist Jerome Harris is best known for his work as a sideman with Sonny Rollins, and for his later work in groups led by drummer Bobby Previte and by trombonist Ray Anderson, among others. Harris was already a skilled musician when he went to Harvard with the intent of becoming a psychiatrist. During his college years, he became known as a guitarist on campus who played in a variety of bands, from R&B to free jazz, including a fusion band with fellow student, drummer Akira Tana. After graduation, Harris decided to focus on music full-time and first began appearing on recordings during the late '70s, such as Sonny Rollins' Don't Stop the Carnival (Milestone, 1978). In addition to continuing his work with Rollins throughout the 1980s, Harris worked with Oliver Lake and Bill Frisell, among others. The second half of the decade also found him playing with Bob Moses and Marty Ehrlich, while much of his work during the 1990s was with Bobby Previte and Ray Anderson. Harris has toured internationally in various ensembles, including trips to Japan with Rollins, tours of the Middle East and India with Jay Hoggard, of Africa with Oliver Lake, the U.S. with Previte's Latin for Travelers, and more. Some of the other renowned musicians that he has worked with include Don Byron, Ned Rothenberg (Sync on Intuition, 1999), Mark Helias, Pheeroan AkLaff and Kenny Werner. In addition to his work as a sideman, Jerome Harris has led several recording dates of his own, including Algorithms (Minor Music, 1986), Hidden in Plain View (New World, 1995) and Rendezvous (Stereophile, 1999). In 1999, Harris also played a large role in a July concert in New York City that was a tribute to Joni Mitchell, in which he wrote many of the transcriptions and arrangements, in addition to performing. As of the late '90s, Harris was based out of Brooklyn.