Legendary Pianist Barry Harris Part Of Yale Jazz Summit

Pianist, educator and bandleader Barry Harris is basically one of the last surviving members of a generation of jazz legends. He’s 86. From a certain jazz-fan perspective, it’s worth it to pay to just breathe the air in the same room as Harris.

Harris played with the giants of jazz — Coleman Hawkins, Miles Davis, Thad Jones, Dexter Gordon and dozens of others. He lived with Thelonious Monk for a time toward the end of Monk’s life. Harris played with the Max Roach and Clifford Brown band for a period. And he plays on the legendary Lee Morgan record “The Sidewinder.”

His playing has a bebop agility, force and inventiveness, but his touch can be sweet, smooth, funky and soulful. As a sideman, Harris is a master of placement, finding the smallest opening in a phrase and making the most expressive statement there.

Harris has developed theories about harmony and chord movement to allow greater freedom for pianists and guitarists playing in a jazz setting. Thankfully, you can go down your own extended music-theory wormhole watching videos of Harris explaining his exercises and concepts on YouTube.

Barry Harris plays with fellow piano masters Toshiko Akiyoshi and Aaron Diehl at the Piano Jazz Summit at Yale’s Morse Recital Hall in Sprague Hall, 470 College St., New Haven, Friday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $20. 203-432-4158 and music.yale.edu.