"New York-based pianist Kevin Harris (...) deals with themes of strength, love, courage and self-awareness. It’s a heavy task he’s set up for himself, and he meets the challenge gracefully." - DownBeat Magazine When the unmistakable musical influences of Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker intersect with J.S. Bach, Scott Joplin, and the folkloric rhythms of Cuba, could one possibly conceptualize the celebration that occurs at that intersection? Jazz pianist Kevin Harris plays a distinctive combination of traditional and contemporary music that seeks to explore such a crossroad. Fred Hersch talks of Harris as one who “plays and writes with flair and real soul" and Downbeat Magazine writes that “Harris' compositions deal with themes of strength, love, courage, and self awareness. It's a heavy task he's set up for himself, and he meets the challenge gracefully.” One of the captivating elements of his group is the level of comfort and understanding they have with one another as they dive into passionate music conversations as well as playful exchanges. Both his live performances and his recordings reflect Harris’ determination to capture his audience through thoughtful music interactions and very complex solo sections. Harris has collaborated with notable artists such as Greg Osby, Francisco Mela, Avishai Cohen, Eddie Gomez, Carlos Averhoff, Richie Barshay, Ben Street, Ralph Peterson, Ralph Bowen, Jason Palmer, Jerry Bergonzi, Cecil McBee, Bob Moses, and Terri Lyne Carrington. He consistently performs at renowned national and international venues --Blue Note (NYC and Milan), Smalls, Scullers, JazzHus Montmartre, Wally's, to name a few--. His ensemble has also participated at the Jazz Festivals in Havana, Panama, Copenhagen, Lima, Israel, and Boston. As a leader, Kevin has released four albums. DownBeat gives three stars to his most recent release, ‘Museum Vol 1’ and describes it as “overall smart, lyrical and engrossing”. The Phoenix chooses it as the “Editor’s Pick” and highlights “the tight/loose elasticity, the tension between form and freedom that was the hallmark of so many Miles Davis sessions with Shorter and Herbie Hancock . . . calm and collected, but also loose and full of surprises." Kevin is currently on the faculty at Berklee College of Music where he teaches piano, jazz ensembles, summer theory classes, and piano labs. Committed to the community and to getting youth involved in music, Kevin has also conducted local and international clinics in both public and private schools throughout the USA, Europe, Panama, and Peru. Harris thrives on communication. A typical performance always involves interacting with the audience that in turn inspires a sense of joyful connectedness and community. "Participation,” Harris says, "is what keeps our souls alive.