One of the major hard bop pianists of the last half of the 20th century, Barry Harris has long had the ability to sound very close to Bud Powell, yet he can also do convincing impressions of Thelonious Monk, and has his own style within the bop idiom.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, on December 15, 1929, he was an important part of the jazz scene of the 1950s in his hometown, and has been a jazz educator since that era. Harris recorded his first set as a leader in 1958, and moved to New York in 1960, where he spent a short period with Cannonball Adderley's Quintet. He also recorded with Dexter Gordon, Illinois Jacquet, Yusef Lateef, and Hank Mobley, and was with Coleman Hawkins off and on throughout the decade (including Hawk's declining years).

In the '70s, Harris was on two of Sonny Stitt's finest records (Tune Up and Constellation), and made many recordings in a variety of settings for Xanadu. Harris has mostly worked with his trio since the mid-'70s, and has recorded as a leader for Argo (1958), Riverside, Prestige, MPS, Xanadu, and Red.

Scott Yanow -All Music Guide