Jesse Harris
Jesse Harris | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | (1969-10-24) October 24, 1969 (age 54) New York City |
Genres | Pop, folk, jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Labels | Dangerbird, Downtown, Tzadik |
Website | jesseharrismusic |
Jesse Harris (born October 24, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and guitarist. He has worked with Norah Jones, Melody Gardot, Madeleine Peyroux, and Lizz Wright.[1]
Early life and education
Harris and his twin sister were born in New York City. He attended Riverdale Country School in New York City. He graduated from Cornell University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.[2][3]
Career
Jesse Harris's music has been described as a "blend [of] folk, rock, jazz, and world rhythms."[4]
Harris gave guitar lessons and performed in musical groups before he formed the duo Once Blue with singer-songwriter Rebecca Martin. This was the first group he was in and his first experience writing for another singer. Once Blue released its self-titled debut on EMI Records in 1995 and nine additional songs were included in the album's re-release in 2003.
Harris signed as a songwriter with Sony Publishing in 1998 and then made three self-released recordings with his new band, The Ferdinandos, consisting of Harris, Tony Scherr, Tim Luntzel, and Kenny Wollesen.[5] The band released two more albums on sublabels of Verve Records. Harris recorded three solo albums Mineral, Feel, and Watching the Sky on his own label, Secret Sun Recordings.[1]
In 2003, he was awarded a Grammy Award for Song of the Year for "Don't Know Why", performed by Norah Jones. Jones's album, Come Away with Me, includes five of Harris' compositions: "Don't Know Why," "Shoot the Moon," "One Flight Down," "I've Got to See You Again," and "The Long Day Is Over." Harris plays guitar throughout the whole album. Jones and Harris have collaborated numerous times since then. Jones has been a guest on many of his albums and he appears as guitarist on almost all of her albums. Harris appears as a guitarist on Bright Eyes' 2005 album, I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, as well as Motion Sickness. He contributed songwriting to Jones' 2008 release The Fall as well.
In 2007, Harris delivered songs for the soundtrack of the film The Hottest State, written and directed by actor Ethan Hawke.[6][7] The soundtrack featured new versions of his songs by Jones, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Feist, Cat Power, M. Ward, The Black Keys, Bright Eyes, Brad Mehldau and Rosario Ortega.[6] He also acted in the film.
In August 2010, Harris released his album Through the Night and recorded a new version of his song "The Secret Sun" for a Corona beer commercial.[8][9]
Harris's 11th album, Sub Rosa, recorded in Rio de Janeiro, was released in July 2012[10] and features guest vocals from Conor Oberst, Melody Gardot, and Norah Jones.[11] Harris's 12th album, the stripped down Borne Away, was released on June 25, 2013.
Harris and Jones appear together in the 2014 David Wain/Michael Showalter film, They Came Together, performing his song, "It Was the Last Thing on Your Mind," which Harris produced. In 2016, he appeared in Showalter's film Hello, My Name Is Doris, performing his song, "Anything Was Possible."
In 2013, Harris joined John Zorn's Song Project along with Mike Patton, Sofia Rei, and Sean Lennon, writing lyrics for various Zorn compositions and singing them at festivals worldwide with a band featuring Marc Ribot on guitar, John Medeski on keyboards, and Zorn conducting. Two of the group's albums have been released by Tzadik Records. Zorn and Harris also collaborated on a project which featured singer and violinist Petra Haden alongside the Julian Lage Trio (for whom Harris has produced two albums, Arclight and Modern Lore), plus Harris on guitar. The resulting album, Music for Petra (Petra Haden Sings the Zorn/Harris Songbook), was released in 2020 on Tzadik.
Harris already worked with Petra Haden as interpreter of his songs; the album Seemed Like a Good Idea – Petra Haden Sings Jesse Harris came out in 2016 on Sunnyside.[12] Other artists who have recorded Harris's songs include Smokey Robinson, George Benson, Pat Metheny, Kandace Springs, and Solomon Burke. Songwriting collaborations have included Madeleine Peyroux, Melody Gardot, Maria Gadú, Maya Hawke, and Vinicius Cantuária. Production credits include albums for Forro in the Dark, Sasha Dobson
In 2017, Jesse started Cosmo, a group for only his instrumental compositions, with CJ Camerieri (trumpet, flugelhorn, and French horn), Will Graefe (guitar), Jeremy Gustin (drums), Benjamin Lazar Davis (bass), Michael Boshcen (trombone), and Harris (guitar). They are currently working on an album with producer Jason Lader.
Harris's album Aquarelle was recorded in Lisbon, Portugal, and released in September 2018, and features Gustin and Graefe, Ricardo Dias Gomes (bass, keyboards), Petra Haden, Valerie June, Sophia Brous, Thomas Bartlett, Rob Moose, Jesse Carmichael, Marcelo Camelo, and Jason Lader. On Surpresa, in 2021, Harris closely collaborated again with Vinicius Cantuária.[13]
Discography
As leader/co-leader
- Once Blue with Rebecca Martin
- Once Blue (EMI, 1995)
- Once Blue Live at the Handlebar (Core Port, 2018) – live recorded in 1996
- Jesse Harris & the Ferdinandos
- Jesse Harris and the Ferdinandos (Bean, 1999)
- Crooked Lines (Bean, 2001)
- Without You (Bean, 2002)
- The Secret Sun (BlueThumb/Verve, 2003)
- While the Music Lasts (Verve, 2004)
- Mineral (Secret Sun, 2005)
- Feel (Velour, 2007)
- Watching the Sky (Mercer Street, 2009)
- Through the Night (Secret Sun/Mercer Street, 2010)
- Cosmo (Tzadik, 2010)
- Sub Rosa (Dangerbird, 2012)
- Borne Away (Secret Sun, 2013)
- No Wrong No Right with Star Rover (Dangerbird, 2015)
- Petra Haden Sings Jesse Harris – Seemed Like a Good Idea with Petra Haden (Sunnyside, 2016)
- Music for Chameleons (Sunnyside, 2017)
- Aquarelle (Secret Sun, 2018)
- Songs Never Sung (Secret Sun, 2019)
- Everlasting Day (Secret Sun, 2020)
- Surpresa with Vinicius Cantuária (Sunnyside, 2021)
- But When? (Secret Sun, 2022)
- Silver Balloon (Secret Sun, 2022)
- Cosmo – Spring Song (Secret Sun, 2023)
As sideman
- Bright Eyes
- I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (Saddle Creek, 2005)
- Motion Sickness (Team Love, 2005)
- Chiara Civello, Al Posto del Mondo (Sony Music, 2012)
- Chico Pinheiro, There's a Storm Inside (Sunnyside, 2010)
- Federico Aubele, Berlin 13 (ESL Music, 2011)
- Forro in the Dark
- Light a Candle (Natgeo, 2009)
- Forro in the Dark Plays Zorn (Tzadik, 2015)
- Jessie Baylin
- You (Hickory, 2007)
- Firesight (Verve, 2008)
- Johnathan Rice, Trouble Is Real (Warner, 2005)
- Joshua Radin, The Rock and the Tide (Mom and Pop, 2010)
- Julian Lage
- Arclight (Mack Avenue, 2016)
- Modern Lore (Mack Avenue, 2018)
- Kandace Springs
- Soul Eyes (Blue Note, 2016)
- Indigo (Blue Note, 2018)
- Ken Hirai, Ken's Bar (DefStar Japan, 2003)
- Lisa Loeb, Tails (Geffen, 1995)
- Lizz Wright
- Dreaming Wide Awake (Verve, 2005)
- Freedom & Surrender (Concord, 2015)
- Madeleine Peyroux, Careless Love (Rounder, 2004)
- Maria Gadú, Mais Uma Página (Som Livre/Slap, 2008); co-written and -produced two tracks, plays acoustic guitar on one
- Marisa Monte, O Que Você Quer Sabe de Verdade (EMI, 2011)
- Melody Gardot
- The Absence (Universal, 2012)
- Currency of Man (Universal, 2015)
- Live in Europe (Universal, 2018)
- My One and Only Thrill (Universal, 2009)
- Nikki Yanofsky, Nikki (Decca, 2010)
- Norah Jones
- First Sessions (Blue Note, 2001)
- Come Away with Me (Blue Note, 2002)
- Feels Like Home (Blue Note, 2004)
- Not Too Late (Blue Note, 2007)
- The Fall (Blue Note, 2009)
- Petra Haden
- Music for Petra (Petra Haden Sings the Zorn/Harris Songbook) (Tzadik, 2020)
- Richard Julian, Slow New York (Manhattan, 2006)
- Ricky Fante, Rewind (Virgin, 2003)
- Solomon Burke, Like a Fire (Shout! Factory, 2008); written two tracks, plays acoustic guitar on them
- Sasha Dobson, Modern Romance (Secret Sun, 2006)
- Seamus Blake, Stranger Things Have Happened (Fresh Sound, 1999)
- Tiago Iorc, Zeski (Som Livre, 2013)
- Tomoyo Harada, Love Song Covers (Universal, 2015)
- Tristan Prettyman, Twenty-three (Virgin, 2006)
- Vinicius Cantuária, Indio de Apartamento (Naïve, 2012)
- Wax Poetic, On a Ride (Nublu, 2012)
Film/theater/television
- Dragon Tales – TV show – opening theme song (1998); guitarist, songwriter
- Arrivals – stage play – Bank Street Theatre (2007); incidental music composer
- The Hottest State – film – Think Films (2007); guitarist, songwriter, score composer, actor
- Verano Maldito – film – Luis Ortega Film (Argentina, 2011); songwriter, singer, actor
- They Came Together – film – Lionsgate Films (2014); guitarist, songwriter, producer, actor
- Hello, My Name Is Doris – film – Roadside Attractions (2016); guitarist, songwriter, actor
References
- ^ a b Discography, JesseHarrisMusic.com, retrieved March 29, 2013
- ^ Weiss, Rebecca (November 7, 2007). "The Cornell Connection: Jesse Harris '92 Grammy-Winner succeeds in life despite (or because of?) low GPA". The Cornell Daily Sun. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
- ^ "Notable Cornell University Alumni: Music". Cornell University. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
- ^ Gorce, Tammy La (July 1, 2007). "Feel – Jesse Harris : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
- ^ Johnson, Zac. "Jesse Harris – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
- ^ a b Soundtrack, Original. "'The Hottest State' Gets an All-Star Soundtrack". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
- ^ Farber, Jim (August 5, 2007). "'State' of the art". Daily News. New York. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
- ^ "MediaPost Publications New Corona Efforts Redefine 'Beach' 09/16/2010". www.mediapost.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2010.
- ^ Biography, JesseHarrisMusic.com, retrieved March 29, 2013
- ^ "Dangerbird Records store: Jesse Harris, Sub Rosa". Store.dangerbirdrecords.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
- ^ Chris Rutledge (June 14, 2012). "Watch Two New Trailers For Jesse Harris' Sub Rosa". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
- ^ Seemed Like a Good Idea as presented by the Sunnyside label on Bandcamp.
- ^ "MarlbankWebsite".
External links
- Official website
- NPR story on The Hottest State
- v
- t
- e
- "Nel blu, dipinto di blu (Volare)" – Domenico Modugno (songwriter) (1958)
- "The Battle of New Orleans" – Jimmy Driftwood (songwriter) (1959)
- "Theme of Exodus" – Ernest Gold (songwriter) (1960)
- "Moon River" – Johnny Mercer & Henry Mancini (songwriters) (1961)
- "What Kind of Fool Am I?" – Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley (songwriters) (1962)
- "Days of Wine and Roses" – Johnny Mercer & Henry Mancini (songwriters) (1963)
- "Hello, Dolly!" – Jerry Herman (songwriter) (1964)
- "The Shadow of Your Smile" – Paul Francis Webster & Johnny Mandel (songwriters) (1965)
- "Michelle" – John Lennon & Paul McCartney (songwriters) (1966)
- "Up, Up, and Away" – Jimmy Webb (songwriter) (1967)
- "Little Green Apples" – Bobby Russell (songwriter) (1968)
- "Games People Play" – Joe South (songwriter) (1969)
- "Bridge over Troubled Water" – Paul Simon (songwriter) (1970)
- "You've Got a Friend" – Carole King (songwriter) (1971)
- "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Ewan MacColl (songwriter) (1972)
- "Killing Me Softly with His Song" – Norman Gimbel & Charles Fox (songwriters) (1973)
- "The Way We Were" – Alan and Marilyn Bergman & Marvin Hamlisch (songwriters) (1974)
- "Send In the Clowns" – Stephen Sondheim (songwriter) (1975)
- "I Write the Songs" – Bruce Johnston (songwriter) (1976)
- "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" – Barbra Streisand & Paul Williams (songwriters) / "You Light Up My Life" – Joe Brooks (songwriter) (1977)
- "Just the Way You Are" – Billy Joel (songwriter) (1978)
- "What a Fool Believes" – Kenny Loggins & Michael McDonald (songwriters) (1979)
- "Sailing" – Christopher Cross (songwriter) (1980)
- "Bette Davis Eyes" – Donna Weiss & Jackie DeShannon (songwriters) (1981)
- "Always on My Mind" – Johnny Christopher, Mark James & Wayne Carson (songwriters) (1982)
- "Every Breath You Take" – Sting (songwriter) (1983)
- "What's Love Got to Do with It" – Graham Lyle & Terry Britten (songwriters) (1984)
- "We Are the World" – Michael Jackson & Lionel Richie (songwriters) (1985)
- "That's What Friends Are For" – Burt Bacharach & Carole Bayer Sager (songwriters) (1986)
- "Somewhere Out There" – James Horner, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil (songwriters) (1987)
- "Don't Worry, Be Happy" – Bobby McFerrin (songwriter) (1988)
- "Wind Beneath My Wings" – Larry Henley & Jeff Silbar (songwriters) (1989)
- "From a Distance" – Julie Gold (songwriter) (1990)
- "Unforgettable" – Irving Gordon (songwriter) (1991)
- "Tears in Heaven" – Eric Clapton & Will Jennings (songwriters) (1992)
- "A Whole New World" – Alan Menken & Tim Rice (songwriters) (1993)
- "Streets of Philadelphia" – Bruce Springsteen (songwriter) (1994)
- "Kiss from a Rose" – Seal (songwriter) (1995)
- "Change the World" – Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick & Tommy Sims (songwriters) (1996)
- "Sunny Came Home" – Shawn Colvin & John Leventhal (songwriters) (1997)
- "My Heart Will Go On" – James Horner & Will Jennings (songwriters) (1998)
- "Smooth" – Itaal Shur & Rob Thomas (songwriters) (1999)
- "Beautiful Day" – Adam Clayton, David Evans, Laurence Mullen & Paul Hewson (songwriters) (2000)
- "Fallin'" – Alicia Keys (songwriter) (2001)
- "Don't Know Why" – Jesse Harris (songwriter) (2002)
- "Dance with My Father" – Richard Marx & Luther Vandross (songwriters) (2003)
- "Daughters" – John Mayer (songwriter) (2004)
- "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" – Adam Clayton, David Evans, Laurence Mullen & Paul Hewson (songwriters) (2005)
- "Not Ready to Make Nice" – Emily Burns Erwin, Martha Maguire, Natalie Maines Pasdar & Dan Wilson (songwriters) (2006)
- "Rehab" – Amy Winehouse (songwriter) (2007)
- "Viva la Vida" – Guy Berryman, Jonathan Buckland, William Champion & Christopher Martin (songwriters) (2008)
- "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" – Thaddis "Kuk" Harrell, Beyoncé Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart (songwriters) (2009)
- "Need You Now" – Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott (songwriters) (2010)
- "Rolling in the Deep" – Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth (songwriters) (2011)
- "We Are Young" – Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess (songwriters) (2012)
- "Royals" – Joel Little & Ella Yelich O'Connor (songwriters) (2013)
- "Stay with Me" (Darkchild version) – James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith (songwriters) (2014)
- "Thinking Out Loud" – Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge (songwriters) (2015)
- "Hello" – Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin (songwriters) (2016)
- "That's What I Like" – Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip (songwriters) (2017)
- "This Is America" – Donald Glover, Ludwig Göransson & Jeffery Lamar Williams (songwriters) (2018)
- "Bad Guy" – Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell (songwriters) (2019)
- "I Can't Breathe" – Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas (songwriters) (2020)
- "Leave the Door Open" – Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars (songwriters) (2021)
- "Just Like That" – Bonnie Raitt (songwriter) (2022)
- "What Was I Made For?" – Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell (songwriters) (2023)